This came three weeks after the lawyers representing the woman who filed the lawsuit reached a settlement that required the prince to make a significant donation to the charity of his accuser and to declare that he never intended to mislead her character.
After lawyers from both sides requested him to sign court papers, U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan dismissed the August lawsuit. They had until March 17th to finish the deal, or he would schedule a trial date. The lawsuit can’t be refiled.
Three weeks ago, the lawyers disclosed that they had tentatively reached a settlement where the prince would make a declaration about his character and donate to Virginia Giuffre’s charity.
After Giuffre sued Andrew, Andrew vigorously denied Giuffre’s claims . She had accused the British royal of sexually abusing him while she was 17 years old and she was on a trip with Jeffrey Epstein.
Giuffre, 38, made the settlement between Andrew and the prince after the judge rejected his bid for an early dismissal of the lawsuit.
David Boies, Giuffre attorney, wrote a letter last month to the judge. It contained a statement that stated, in part, “Prince Andrew intends make a substantial contribution to Ms. Giuffre’s charity to support victims’ rights.” Prince Andrew did not intend to disparage Ms. Giuffre’s character and acknowledges that she has been a victim of abuse as well as the victim of unfair public attacks.
According to the statement Prince Andrew admitted that Epstein had trafficked “numbers of young girls” over many decades. He also said that he regretted his association with Epstein and commended Ms. Giuffre’s bravery in standing up for others.
As a sign of his regret, he also promised to support victims of sextrafficking.
Boies stated Tuesday that the settlement was an “important step” but not the final step to hold Jeffrey Epstein’s enablers, participants, and accomplices accountable.
The prince’s lawyer declined to comment.
Unless they make it public, the Associated Press doesn’t usually identify victims of sexual assault. Giuffre did.
Settlement halted the lawsuit before evidence gathering began, including depositions that would have required Andrew to answer attorneys’ questions.
Andrew, who had previously resigned from his royal duties was recently stripped of his honorary military title as well as the leadership roles of various charities known under the name royal patronages. In official settings, he can’t use the title of “his royal highness”.
