The Duke of York has demanded a trial by jury in the civil sex case brought against him by Virginia Giuffre.
Ms Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, alleges Prince Andrew sexually assaulted her in three different locations between 2000 and 2002.
The duke submitted 11 reasons why the case should be dismissed, including that Ms Giuffre’s claims are “barred by the doctrine of consent” and by “her own wrongful conduct”.
In the court document which communicated his reasons for requesting a dismissal of the case, Andrew’s lawyers concluded: “Prince Andrew hereby demands a trial by jury on all causes of action asserted in the Complaint.”
In Ms Giuffre's allegations, she accuses Andrew of sexually abusing her at the London home of disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, at paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein’s New York mansion and Epstein’s private island, Little St James.
BREAKING: Prince Andrew says he demands “a trial by jury on all causes of action asserted in [Virginia Giuffre’s] Complaint”. pic.twitter.com/u1qQlQAiE8
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) January 26, 2022
Judge Lewis A Kaplan previously denied the duke’s application to dismiss the case. The prince has consistently denied Ms Giuffre’s claims.
In the 11-page document, Andrew also reportedly denies he was “close friends” with socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who was last month found guilty of five counts of child sex trafficking and faces up to 65 years in prison.
The document was filed by Los Angeles attorneys Andrew Brettler and Melissa Lerner to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on Wednesday.
In the wake of the judge’s decision to not to throw out the case earlier in January, Prince Andrew - who had already stepped back from royal duties - was stripped of his honorary military titles.
After the filing, lawyer David Boies, who is representing Ms Giuffre in her lawsuit against Andrew, said his client and legal team were anticipating “confronting” the royal about his “denials”.
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.
“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.”
Andrew’s filing was an “answer”, a common document in US litigation in which defendants deny or say they lack enough information to comment on plaintiffs’ substantive accusations.
The prince’s lawyers had previously called Ms Giuffre’s lawsuit “baseless” and accused her of seeking “another payday at his expense”.
Giuffre received $500,000 in a 2009 civil settlement with Epstein.
Judge Kaplan has said a trial could begin between September and December 2022.
If Ms Giuffre won at trial, Andrew could owe her damages. She has asked for an unspecified amount.
