Virginia Giuffre’s lawyer is “very pleased” with the outcome of her sexual assault claim against Prince Andrew.
It was confirmed in a letter from both parties’ legal teams submitted to the US district court on Tuesday (15.02.22) that the pair had “reached a settlement in principle”, with the Duke of York agreeing to make a “substantial donation to Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights” and one of Virginia’s attorneys has now spoken out about the agreement.
Sigrid McCawley, a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner, said: “As a managing partner at a firm that has from its beginning acted upon the belief that the law should be marshalled to bring justice to the most vulnerable, I can say, without hesitation, that our representation of survivors upholds that tradition.
“I am very pleased with the resolution of Virginia Giuffre’s litigation against Prince Andrew.”
Virginia had accused convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – who took his own life in August 2019 – and his one-time girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell of arranging and forcing her into having sex with the 61-year-old royal.
And lawyer Lisa Bloom, who represents eight of Epstein’s victims, hailed the news a “victory” for Virginia.
Tweeting on behalf of her clients, she wrote: “We hail Virginia’s victory today. She has accomplished what no one else could: getting Prince Andrew to stop his nonsense and side with sexual abuse victims. We salute Virginia’s stunning courage.”
In the court documents, Andrew acknowledged the ways Virginia has “suffered” and expressed his “regret” over his friendship with Epstein.
The paperwork stated: “Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew have reached an out-of-court settlement. The parties will file a stipulated dismissal upon Ms Giuffre’s receipt of the settlement (the sum of which is not being disclosed).
“Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights. Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms Giuffre’s character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks.”
The document continued: “It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years. Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others.
“He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.”