Prince Andrew Sued for Child Sex Abuse in U.S Federal Court
British royal hit with lawsuit over allegations he raped a sex trafficked teenager
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Britain's Prince Andrew has been hit with a lawsuit in a U.S. federal court over allegations he raped a teenage girl multiple times who had been trafficked to him for sex by deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
An alleged victim of child sex trafficker Epstein filed a lawsuit against the prince in New York on Monday, accusing the embattled 61-year-old royal of sexually abusing her at Epstein’s Manhattan mansion and elsewhere when she was still a minor, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit, filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre in federal court in New York, comes almost two years to the day that Epstein was found dead in a New York jail while he was awaiting trial on conspiracy and child sex trafficking charges.
The legal action also comes just days before the expiration date of a New York state law that permits alleged victims of childhood sexual abuse to file civil claims that might otherwise be barred by statutes of limitations.
Roberts accused the Duke of York of battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress in the lawsuit filed in federal court.
The lawsuit - filed on Roberts' 38th birthday - claims that she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times on the orders of the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
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It was filed under a law in New York that relates to child abuse as Roberts was considered a minor at the time under state law.
Andrew is named as the only defendant in the 15-page suit, brought under New York state's Child Victims Act, though Epstein and his former girlfriend/child pimp Ghislaine Maxwell are mentioned frequently throughout.
Ms. Giuffre is seeking unknown amounts of compensation and punitive damages over the allegations.
Court documents claim she was "lent out for sexual purposes" by convicted sex offender Epstein including while she was still a minor under US law.
The documents state she was "compelled by express or implied threats by Epstein, Maxwell, and/or Prince Andrew to engage in sexual acts with Prince Andrew, and feared death or physical injury to herself or another and other repercussions for disobeying Epstein, Maxwell, and Prince Andrew due to their powerful connections, wealth and authority."
The duke allegedly engaged in the sexual acts without Ms. Giuffre's consent, while aware of her age and while "knowing that she was a sex-trafficking victim," the documents claim, adding the alleged assaults "have caused, and continue to cause her, significant emotional and psychological distress and harm."
"Prince Andrew's actions, described above, constitute extreme and outrageous conduct that shocks the conscience," the lawsuit stated as it described the emotional distress suffered by Ms. Giuffre.
"Prince Andrew's sexual abuse of a child who he knew was a sex-trafficking victim, and when he was approximately 40 years old, goes beyond all possible bounds of decency and is intolerable in a civilized community," it added.
Giuffre’s lawyer, Davide Boies, told ABC News her window to act was closing: “If she doesn't do it now, she would be allowing him to escape any accountability for his actions.
“And Virginia is committed to trying to avoid situations where rich and powerful people escape any accountability for their actions.”
According to reports, the lawsuit is accusing Prince Andrew of sexual assault and “intentional” emotional distress.
Her lawsuit was filed under New York State's Child Victims Act, which was introduced in 2019 to allow more historic abuse cases to be filed.
Previously in New York state, victims had up to five years after they turned 18 to file a claim, but the Act - which expires on August 14 - gave all victims a one-off window to make a case, regardless of how historic their claim was.
In a statement, Ms. Giuffre, who lives in Australia, said: "I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me.
"The powerful and the rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions.
"I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but one can reclaim her life by speaking out and demanding justice.
"I did not come to this decision lightly.
"As a mother and a wife, my family comes first.
"I know that this action will subject me to further attacks by Prince Andrew and his surrogates.
"But I knew that if I did not pursue this action, I would be letting them and victims everywhere down."
She first accused the Duke of sexual abuse in public documents in December 2014, as part of a case brought by alleged Epstein victims.
Ms. Giuffre also claimed that she was instructed by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to have sex with Andrew on three occasions in 2001.
Buckingham Palace “emphatically” denied the claims, as has Maxwell, stating that the allegations were “false.”
In a previous statement, the Palace said: "It is emphatically denied that The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts.
"Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation."
The lawsuit also includes a copy of the photo of Prince Andrew standing beside Ms. Giuffre in London, and flight records from Epstein's private planes.
She claims that they indicate that she was a frequent passenger on the jet, and flew to destinations in the US and other countries whilst under 18.
Since denying the allegations Ms. Giuffre’s lawyers claim that they have made multiple attempts to contact the Duke and his legal team but have been ignored.
According to her lawyer, the latest letter sent to Prince Andrew was sent last month and warned that a lawsuit could be filed.
The American claims she had sex with Prince Andrew in a toilet when she was 17, after a night where he had been plying her with vodka in a posh London club.
She claims she first met the royal dad-of-two on a trip to London in 2001 when she was 17 and Epstein and Maxwell were also there.
She had her third alleged sexual encounter with the royal on Little St James Island, aka "Pedophile Island," where she says he engaged in an orgy with nine girls, some of whom were allegedly underage.
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The prince strongly denied having sex with her in London and New York, and a year later at an orgy on Epstein’s private island in the Virgin Islands.
Roberts says her account is “99 percent true,” however.
Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking offenses.
Maxwell was arrested last July and is set to go on trial in November for allegedly recruiting underage girls for sex for the disgraced New York financier.
She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
