Prince Andrew Sex Abuse Settlement Overview:
- Who: Prince Andrew has reached an out-of-court settlement with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of sexual assault.
- Why: The settlement was reached weeks after a judge rejected Prince Andrew’s motion to dismiss Giuffre’s sex abuse lawsuit.
- Where: Giuffre filed the sex abuse lawsuit in New York.
Prince Andrew has reportedly agreed to a settlement with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17 years old. Although the details of the settlement have not been disclosed, court documents indicate that Prince Andrew will donate funds to Giuffre’s charity, which supports sexual assault victims.
Giuffre filed the sexual assault lawsuit in New York last year, alleging the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein trafficked her to Prince Andrew.
Giuffre said Prince Andrew sexually assaulted her in 2001 and 2002. She was able to file the sex assault lawsuit under New York’s Child Victims Act, which passed in 2019 and allows survivors to file such claims no matter how long ago the alleged sex abuse took place.
“Twenty years ago Prince Andrew’s wealth, power, position and connections enabled him to abuse a frightened, vulnerable child with no one there to protect her,” Giuffre’s lawsuit said. “It’s long past the time for him to be held to account.”
Prince Andrew Denies Wrongdoing
Although Prince Andrew has claimed that he does not remember meeting Giuffre, the two of them were photographed together when Giuffre was a teenager.
Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who was recently convicted of trafficking minors for sexual abuse, is also shown in the photograph.
Rikki Klieman, a CBS News legal analyst, had argued that a settlement was in Prince Andrew’s best interest to avoid the negative publicity and subsequent damage to the royal family’s reputation that was likely to occur during a drawn-out legal process.
Giuffre’s lawyer indicated that the plaintiff was more likely to agree to a cash settlement with Prince Andrew if he acknowledged wrongdoing.
“Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre’s character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks,” court documents say.
Prince Andrew Pledges to Support Fight Against Sex Trafficking
Prince Andrew filed a motion to dismiss Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit, and, after his motion was rejected in January, he was stripped of his royal patronages and military affiliations. He will, however, retain the title of Duke of York and maintain his place in the line of succession.
He can no longer use the title “His Royal Highness” or undertake any public duties.
“Prince Andrew regrees his association with Epstein,and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others,” the court documents say.
“He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.”
Sex Abuse Victims Have Legal Options
Gone are the days when victims of sexual abuse would stay silent for decades. Growing awareness of sexual abuse in trusted institutions such as schools, churches and youth programs have led an ever-increasing number of individuals who were abused when they were young to come forward and hold their perpetrators accountable.
The Catholic Youth Organization is facing allegations that it should have known that its former executive director had a propensity to sexually abuse children but failed to take steps to protect them from the abuse.
A growing number of lawsuits against the YMCA and YWCA allege the organizations fail to properly address sexual abuse committed by employees at their facilities.
Sexual abuse in schools and educational settings has also led victims to file school sex abuse lawsuits against faculty and staff and the institutions that employ them.
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