Judge: Prince Andrew can’t halt lawsuit with domicile claim

NEW YORK — Prince Andrew’s effort to instantly artifact the progression of a suit by a pistillate who says helium sexually assaulted her erstwhile she was 17 — connected the grounds that she nary longer lives successful the U.S. — was rejected by a national justice arsenic oral arguments were acceptable to proceed Monday connected the prince’s petition to disregard the lawsuit.

Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, successful a written bid Friday, told the prince’s lawyers they indispensable crook implicit documents connected the docket that has been acceptable successful the suit brought successful August by Virginia Giuffre. Giuffre says she was abused by the prince connected aggregate occasions successful 2001 portion she was being sexually abused by financier Jeffrey Epstein. The prince’s attorney, Andrew Brettler, has called the suit “baseless.”

The bid was filed 3 days earlier the scheduled nationalist merchandise Monday of a 2009 colony statement betwixt Epstein and Giuffre. Lawyers for Andrew accidental that the statement protects the prince from claims similar those brought by Giuffre and volition beryllium capable grounds for the lawsuit’s dismissal.

The prince’s lawyers had claimed that the grounds was truthful beardown that Giuffre does not reside successful the United States that it was pointless to speech grounds until that question is resolved due to the fact that it could effect successful the lawsuit’s dismissal.

They argued that Giuffre has lived successful Australia each but 2 of the past 19 years, has an Australian driver’s licence and lives successful a $1.9 cardinal location successful Perth, Western Australia, wherever she has been raising 3 children with her husband, who is Australian.

In a statement, Giuffre lawyer Sigrid McCawley called the petition to halt the lawsuit “just different successful a bid of bushed attempts by Prince Andrew to duck and dodge the ineligible merits of the lawsuit Virginia Giuffre has brought against him. All parties successful litigation are taxable to find and Prince Andrew is nary exception.”

Kaplan, successful a one-page order, noted that the prince’s lawyers person requested that “extensive” materials beryllium turned implicit by Giuffre by Jan. 14, including documents related to wherever she has lived. And helium said the prince’s attorneys person not yet formally raised the defence that the suit cannot proceed connected the grounds that Giuffre has been surviving successful Australia alternatively than Colorado, wherever her lawyers accidental she is simply a resident.

His bid expressed nary sentiment connected the merits of the prince’s claims that Giuffre should beryllium disqualified from suing due to the fact that she lives successful Australia.

Oral arguments via a video teleconference connected the prince’s petition to disregard the lawsuit are scheduled for Monday morning.

In October, the prince’s lawyers attacked the suit connected aggregate grounds, saying Giuffre had made mendacious claims against Andrew due to the fact that helium “never sexually abused oregon assaulted” her.

“Giuffre has initiated this baseless suit against Prince Andrew to execute different payday astatine his disbursal and astatine the disbursal of those closest to him. Epstein’s maltreatment of Giuffre does not warrant her nationalist run against Prince Andrew,” the written arguments said.

Epstein killed himself successful a Manhattan national jailhouse successful August 2019 arsenic helium awaited proceedings connected enactment trafficking charges.

His erstwhile girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, 60, was convicted Wednesday of charges including enactment trafficking and conspiracy aft a month-long trial.

The Associated Press does not typically place radical who accidental they are victims of intersexual battle unless they take to travel guardant publicly, arsenic Giuffre has.