A US lawyer who represents victims of convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein has said she does not believe Virginia Giuffre will remain silent over her sexual abuse case against the Duke of York.
Giuffre reached a multimillion-pound settlement with the disgraced royal last year to stop the case from proceeding to a civil trial.
The agreement also included a clause that barred Guiffre from speaking out about the case for a year, which expires in mid-February.
Attorney Lisa Bloom, whose law firm represents victims of discrimination, harassment and abuse, told Times Radio on Monday morning (30 January) that she does not believe Giuffre will continue to keep her silence once the clause expires.
She said added that Giuffre is a “tremendous advocate for women, not only victims of Jeffrey Epstein, but victims in general”.
“I don’t expect her to remain silent. I expect her to continue to use her voice to speak out. And I hope that she does,” Bloom said.
Her remarks come after it was reported that Giuffre has signed a book deal to release a memoir this year. However, sources close to the book deal told the New York Post it is “unlikely” she will be able to write about Andrew or the terms of their settlement.
The duke, who has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, is reportedly considering a legal bid to overturn his settlement with his accuser.
He reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in February, including damages to her and a donation to charity “in support of victims’ rights”.
But The Sun reported last week that Andrew hopes that overturning the case could potentially allow him to return to royal duties.
Sources close to Andrew told The Independent that he is “desperate” to redeem himself and they are concerned he is “becoming a recluse” as he shuns his friends and consults only with his lawyer about his decisions.
The prince stepped down from royal duties after his close friendship with Epstein emerged and was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages last year prior to settling the case. He can also no longer use his HRH title.
But Bloom said Andrew’s case is “over and done with” because of his decision to settle for millions of pounds, despite being represented by “highly competent attorneys”.
“It’s ever going to be resurrected,” she told Times Radio. “It’s never going to come back because of the decision that he made as a grown man to settle the case.”
