Prince Andrew sued by Epstein accuser claiming sexual abuse

[NEW YORK] Prince Andrew was sued in New York by a woman who claims she was recruited by Financier Jeffrey Epstein as a teenager and "lent out" to powerful men, including the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, for sexual purposes.

Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking. He died while in jail, and his death was officially ruled a suicide by the New York City medical examiner.

Virginia Giuffre claimed in suit filed on Monday in Manhattan federal court that the British royal sexually abused her at Epstein's home in New York, on his private island in the US Virgin Islands and in the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite who is in jail awaiting trial on charges she helped Epstein traffic underage girls for sex.

According to Ms Giuffre, Prince Andrew is liable for battery and for intentional infliction of emotional distress. "Prince Andrew committed sexual assault and battery upon plaintiff when she was 17 years old," she claimed in the complaint.

A spokesperson for Prince Andrew declined to comment when contacted by email. Blackfords, a UK law firm which has previously represented Prince Andrew, also didn't immediately respond to an email sent and voicemail left after business hours.

Prince Andrew has previously denied having ever had sex with Ms Giuffre, perhaps most notably in a 2019 BBC interview. Challenging Ms Giuffre's claim that he had been "profusely sweating" during one of their alleged sexual encounters, the prince contended that a medical condition dating from his Falklands War service meant it was "impossible" for him to sweat.

In a July 19 letter to Blackfords, Ms Giuffre's lawyer, David Boies, said she was running out of time to bring a suit under a recent New York law that extended the statute of limitations for underage sex abuse claims. In the letter, Mr Boies offered to enter into a tolling agreement to stop the clock on the statute.

"We have previously sought, so far without success, to meet with Prince Andrew or his counsel to receive Prince Andrew's information and views, and to discuss whether a negotiated resolution might be appropriate," Mr Boies wrote. A representative for Mr Boies said the letter was ignored.

Ms Giuffre is one of many women who have said they were sexually abused by Epstein and his friends before they were 18. Ms Giuffre is seeking unspecified damages.

BLOOMBERG