U.S. judge skeptical of Prince Andrew's bid to dismiss sex abuse accuser's suit

Britain's Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York, looks on during the funeral of Britain's Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth, who died at the age of 99, on the grounds of Windsor Castle in Windsor, Britain, April 17, 2021. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS

NEW YORK (Reuters) -A U.S. judge on Tuesday appeared skeptical of a bid by Britain's Prince Andrew to dismiss Virginia Giuffre's lawsuit accusing the Duke of York of sexually abusing her when she was 17 and being trafficked by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan is assessing a 2009 settlement agreement in Florida between Epstein and Giuffre that the 61-year-old prince's lawyers have said shields Andrew from claims by the 38-year-old Giuffre.

The agreement included a general release that would "forever discharge" various people who "could have been included as a potential defendant" in a civil lawsuit Giuffre filed against Epstein that she settled for $500,000 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/prince-andrew-accusers-deal-with-epstein-be-made-public-part-civil-suit-2022-01-03.

Andrew has denied Giuffre's accusations that he forced her to have sex more than two decades ago at the London home of former Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and abused her at two other Epstein properties.

At a court hearing, the prince's Los Angeles-based lawyer Andrew Brettler said Queen Elizabeth's second son was shielded from Giuffre's claims when she settled with Epstein, who did not admit liability.

"'Potential defendant' is someone who could have been named a defendant in that lawsuit, but was not," Brettler said. "I think it's unquestionable that Prince Andrew could have been sued in the 2009 Florida action."

But the judge said the key issue is what Giuffre and Epstein intended, noting that "we don't have Mr. Epstein here" to explain how broad a release he wanted.

"We're talking about whether there are two or more reasonable interpretations," Kaplan told Brettler. "I understand your point of view. I understand the other point of view."

Giuffre's lawyer David Boies said the settlement did not excuse Prince Andrew because Giuffre did not claim that the prince was "people who were doing the trafficking," but rather was "someone to whom girls were trafficked."

Kaplan said he would rule on Andrew's dismissal motion "pretty soon." The judge has said a trial could begin between September and December if no settlement is reached.

Epstein killed himself at age 66 in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Maxwell, 60, was convicted https://www.reuters.com/world/us/maxwell-jury-resume-deliberations-after-judge-warns-omicron-risk-2021-12-29 on Dec. 29 of recruiting and grooming girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004. Giuffre's accusations were not part of that case, and she did not testify.

'HUGE BURDEN'

While the prince is not accused of criminal wrongdoing, his ties to Epstein have cost him many royal duties and damaged his reputation. His troubles grew after critics said he failed in a 2019 BBC interview https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-royals-andrew/britains-prince-andrew-categorically-denies-sex-claims-idUSKBN1XP2CX to appear sympathetic toward Epstein's abuse victims.

Giuffre sued Andrew for unspecified damages less than a week before the expiration of a New York law giving accusers a two-year window to bring claims over alleged child abuse occurring long ago.

Andrew has said Giuffre is seeking another "payday" in her campaign against Epstein and former associates such as Maxwell, from whom she sought $50 million in a since-settled 2015 defamation lawsuit.

During the hearing, Brettler said it was "inherently unfair and unjust" for Giuffre to wait so long to sue, and subject the prince to the "huge burden" of finding witnesses and materials to defend against her decades-old claims.

Kaplan rejected Brettler's claim that dismissal of the lawsuit is warranted because Giuffre has not provided enough specifics about the prince's alleged abuses.

"She has no obligation to do that in a complaint," Kaplan told Brettler. "I'm telling you that, straight out, right now. It's not going to happen."

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel and Luc Cohen in New York, Editing by Will Dunham and Rosalba O'Brien)