Prince Andrew trial: duke ‘demands trial by jury’ in civil sex case brought against him by Virginia Giuffre

The Duke of York will be taken to trial in a civil case case after Virginia Giuffre won her right to have the case heard in court
The Duke of York is accused of sexually assaulting Virginia Giuffre between 200 and 2002 and will be taken to trial in a civil case. (Credit: Getty)The Duke of York is accused of sexually assaulting Virginia Giuffre between 200 and 2002 and will be taken to trial in a civil case. (Credit: Getty)
The Duke of York is accused of sexually assaulting Virginia Giuffre between 200 and 2002 and will be taken to trial in a civil case. (Credit: Getty)

Prince Andrew is said to have demanded a trial by jury in the civil sex case which has been brought against him by Virginia Giuffre.

The Duke of York, 61, faces allegations that he sexually assaulted Ms Giuffre on three separate occasions from 2000 to 2002 while she was a teenager.

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A New York judge has allowed for the case to be heard in a civil court after the duke’s attempts to have Ms Giuffre’s lawsuit thrown out of court was dismissed.

At a glance: 5 key points

  • The Duke of York has demanded for a trial by jury when his civil sex case is taken to court
  • He is accused of sexually abusing Virginia Giuffre three times between 2000 and 2002 at the homes of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
  • Ms Giuffre has brought a civil case against the duke seeking damages, although he initially attempted to have these claims thrown out of court citing that Ms Giuffre had signed an agreement with Epstein which prohibited her from bringing a case against some of those involved
  • After Judge Lewis A Kaplan threw the duke’s attempts out of court, he confirmed that Ms Giuffre would be able to bring the case against him in a civil court
  • As a result of the case, the duke had his military titles and royal patronages removed and can no longer use the title HRH, although he continues to deny all allegations

What has been said about the trial?

It has been revealed in a document submitted to court explaining his reasons for requesting that Ms Giuffre’s claims were thrown out, the duke requested that a trial by jury is undertaken.

In the document, the duke’s lawyers said: “Assuming, without admitting, that Giuffre has suffered any injury or damage alleged in the complaint, Giuffre’s claims are barred by the doctrine of consent.”

It was argued that Ms Giuffre would not be able to bring the claim against the duke in a New York court because she is now a permanent resident of Australia, with his lawyer’s also arguing that her claims “fail to state facts sufficient to constitute viable causes of action against Prince Andrew”.

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A pivotal argument of the duke’s lawyers was that a case could not be brought against him after a deal was signed between Epstein and Ms Giuffre in 2009 in exchange for £370,000 ($500,000).

They claimed that by signing the deal - which prohibited any case being brought against Epstein and “any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant” - Ms Giuffre had “waived the claims now asserted in the complaint”.

“Prince Andrew hereby demands a trial by jury on all causes of action asserted in the Complaint,” his lawyers stated in the document.

The court document was released after Judge Kaplan took the decision to allow the case to be brought against the duke.

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In his ruling, he said: “The 2009 agreement cannot be said to demonstrate, clearly and unambiguously, the parties intended the instrument ‘directly’, ‘primarily’, or ‘substantially’, to benefit Prince Andrew.”

The Duke of York has continued to strongly deny all allegations.

What Virginia Giuffre’s lawyer said

David Boies, who is representing Ms Giuffre in her lawsuit against Andrew, said his client and legal team were looking forward to “confronting” the royal about his “denials”.

In a statement, Mr 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.

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“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.”

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