Virginia Giuffre’s attorneys have hit back at Prince Andrew for appearing to blame her for abuse she suffered as a teenager, and say they look forward to “confronting” him in court.
Prince Andrew’s attorney Andrew Brettler demanded a “trial by jury” in a defiant letter to Judge Lewis Kaplan over allegations he sexually assaulted Ms Giuffre when she was 17-years old.
Ms Giuffre alleges in a civil lawsuit that she suffered emotional harm and battery after being trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and directed to have sex with Andrew on three occasions in 2001.
Andrew denied all of Ms Giuffre’s claims in an 11-page letter to the court on Wednesday, and asserted that Ms Giuffre’s own “wrongful conduct” would be a central feature of his defence.
In a statement to The Independent, Ms Giuffre’s attorney David Boies said: “Prince Andrew’s answer continues his approach of denying any knowledge or information concerning the claims against him, and purporting to blame the victim of the abuse for somehow bringing it on herself.
“We look forward to confronting Prince Andrew with his denials and attempts to blame Ms Giuffre for her own abuse at his deposition and at trial.”
A trial is now likely to take place in New York in September or October.
In a letter to Judge Lewis Kaplan on Wednesday, Andrew’s attorney Andrew Brettler set out a detailed response to Ms Giuffre’s allegations that she was trafficked by the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and directed to have sex with the royal.
He denied many allegations contained in Ms Giuffre’s complaint, elsewhere saying he lacked “sufficient information to admit or deny the allegations”.
Andrew also denies that he was “close friends” with Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted last month of five counts of trafficking young girls for her “parter in crime” Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr Brettler sets out more than 10 “affirmative defences” in the letter, which refer to evidence the royal will use to try to disprove the case.
Among them is the so-called “doctrine of unclean hands”, which claims Ms Giuffre has acted unethically.
“Prince Andrew hereby demands a trial by jury on all causes of action asserted in the Complaint,” Mr Brettler concluded.
