Prince Andrew could soon be deposed in NYC sex abuse case
New York, New York - Prince Andrew could be answering questions within two months in a lawsuit brought by a woman who says the British royal had sex with her three times starting when she was 16, the accuser’s lawyer said Wednesday.
Attorney David Boies told a New York federal court judge that he intends to swiftly depose at least eight to 12 people – including the duke of York – in his client Virginia Giuffre’s sex abuse suit.
"The number depends a little bit on who we can get and the timing of it," said Boies. "Certainly, obviously, the parties. In addition, there are a number of potential witnesses; I can’t identify them right now."
Andrew Brettler, a lawyer for Prince Andrew, said he intends to depose the same number of people.
Andrew (61), who is ninth in line for the British throne, was served the suit on August 27 at the Royal Lodge in Windsor. Boies filed the case under New York’s Child Victims Act on the last day it was possible.
Andrew calls lawsuit a "cash grab"
Giuffre says the prince slept with her three times, starting when she was 16 years old in the early 2000s. Their meetings were coordinated by Jeffrey Epstein and his accused madam, Ghislaine Maxwell.
She alleges the sex occurred in Epstein’s Upper East Side townhouse, his private island in the Caribbean, and Ghislaine Maxwell’s London townhouse.
Prince Andrew moved to dismiss the lawsuit on Friday, saying it was a cash grab.
"Most people could only dream of obtaining the sums of money that Giuffre has secured for herself over the years," reads the paperwork filed in Manhattan federal court by Prince Andrew.
"This presents a compelling motive for Giuffre to continue filing frivolous lawsuits against individuals such as Prince Andrew, whose sullied reputation is only the latest collateral damage of the Epstein scandal."
Judge Lewis Kaplan said he estimates the trial will be held late next year.
Cover photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press