A federal judge has now blocked two attempts by Prince Andrew to stop attempts at a sex assault lawsuit brought against him by Virginia Giuffre.
Judge Lewis A Kaplan issued a written order advising Prince Andrew‘s lawyers to adhere to a scheduled document handover. The judge also rejected a motion by Andrew’s attorneys to dismiss the lawsuit because Giuffre no longer resides in the US.
In the lawsuit, Giuffre claims that she was sexually assaulted by Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein on multiple occasions when she was 17 years old.
Significant developments in the lawsuit are expected during a hearing on Tuesday. This is just one day after the 2009 settlement agreement between Epstein and Giuffre will be made public.
The Guardian reported that Giuffre’s legal team claims that they found up to six witnesses linking Prince Andrew to Giuffre.
Prince Andrew continually denies any wrongdoing. He has claimed to be at a restaurant in Surrey, England, when Giuffre claims she was abused. However, he is being challenged to produce an alibi to substantiate such claims.
Prince Andrew is a longtime friend of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted last week on sex trafficking charges in cases linked to Epstein and Prince Andrew.
Prince Andrew was not directly named in Maxwell’s trial, and it had no legal implications for the Prince’s current lawsuit.
The next significant effort in Giuffre’s lawsuit comes Tuesday when Judge Kaplan will decide if her civil claim against Prince Andrew will go to trial.
If her case moves to trial, Giuffre’s legal team will seek further documentation from the Prince. The evidence will include proof of an unusual claim he made during a BBC Newsnight interview that he “cannot sweat.”
The evidence will hold great relevance as Giuffre claims that the Prince had sweat profusely on her while they were at a London nightclub on the night in question. Prince Andrew denies this, claiming that her account is not credible since he cannot sweat.
Giuffre’s lawyers are requesting evidence to back this claim. They’re also asking him to name any alibis who could bolster his claim to be at a specific restaurant when Giuffre alleges the two had sex.
