Prince Andrew served with sexual assault lawsuit for second time, accuser’s lawyers claim

The Duke of York has been served with a sexual assault lawsuit after the relevant paperwork was delivered to his US lawyer, according to his accuser’s legal team.

Virginia Giuffre is seeking damages after alleging Andrew sexually assaulted her, a claim he vehemently denies.

We want to hear from you: let us know what you think about this story and be part of the debate in our comments section below

At a glance: 5 key points

• Giuffre’s lawyers said earlier this month that the duke had officially been served with the papers, but his legal team disputed the claim.

• The issue of whether or not Andrew has been notified about the case – known as service of proceedings – was contested during the first pre-trial hearing of the civil case last week in New York.

• It was reported the judge in the case, US district judge Lewis Kaplan, had ruled Ms Giuffre’s legal team could attempt to deliver the papers to Andrew B Brettler, the duke’s Los Angeles-based lawyer.

• The certificate of service has now been delivered via email and FedEx, according to court records.

• The email was sent on September 17 while the physical papers were delivered on Monday, the legal document claims. It was left with the front desk of Mr Brettler’s office in Los Angeles, according to the FedEx receipt.

What’s been said

The email sent to Mr Brettler stated: “Pursuant to Judge Kaplan’s September 16, 2021, order granting Plaintiff’s motion for alternate service (attached), I am serving by email the Summons and Complaint in the above-captioned matter on you in your capacity as counsel for the Defendant, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.”

Background

Giuffre is suing the duke for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager. She is seeking unspecified damages, but there is speculation the sum could be in the millions of dollars.

Andrew has denied all the allegations.

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. NationalWorld is a new national news brand, produced by a team of journalists, editors, video producers and designers who live and work across the UK. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going. You can also sign up to our newsletters and get a curated selection of our best reads to your inbox every day.