One of Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Giuffre, has sued Prince Andrew, claiming that he sexually assaulted her when she was 17.
In a statement, the victim said that the lawsuit has been brought under the Child Victims Act to allege that she was trafficked and abused by the Prince. The lawsuit has been filed in Manhattan federal court.
“I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me,” she said. “The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but to reclaim one’s life by speaking out and demanding justice.
“I did not come to this decision lightly,” she added. “As a mother and a wife, my family comes first – and I know that this action will subject me to further attacks by Prince Andrew and his surrogates – but I knew if I did not pursue this action, I would be letting them and victims everywhere down.”
According to the lawsuit, Prince Andrew abused Guiffre on multiple occasions when she was under the age of 18. It detailed that on one occasion he sexually abused the plaintiff in Epstein’s New York mansion while Epstein’s long-time partner Ghislaine Maxwell forced Giuffre and another victim to sit on Andrew’s lap as he touched her.
The lawsuit also alleged that Andrew sexually abused Giuffre on Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands. During each of the instances, the victim was given “express or implied threats” if she did not comply with what she was being asked to do.
The lawsuit added that Andrew knew her age at the time based on communications with Epstein and Maxwell. It said he went ahead anyway “for the purpose of gratifying his sexual desires.” No amount of compensatory or punitive damages have been specified yet.
As part of its continuing investigation into Epstein and his encounters with women and teenage girls, Manhattan federal prosecutors formally requested to speak to Prince Andrew.
Ghislaine Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges in Manhattan and awaits trial in November.
Jeffrey Epstein, 66, took his own life in a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019, a month after he was arrested on sex trafficking charges.
Virginia, 38, is one of the most prominent and outspoken survivors of the alleged sex trafficking ring that was operated by Epstein and Maxwell. She was a focal part of the 4-part Netflix docuseries “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich”.
