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December 30, 2021

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Andrew files claims against accuser

Source: Agencies | 00:00 UTC+8 December 30, 2021 | Print Edition

A LAWYER for Britain’s Prince Andrew on Tuesday questioned whether Virginia Giuffre is legally entitled to pursue her civil lawsuit accusing the Duke of York of sexually abusing her when she was under 18.

In a filing with the US District Court in Manhattan, Andrew Brettler said “recently discovered evidence” suggested that the court lacked jurisdiction because Giuffre has lived in Australia for most of the last two decades, and cannot prove she resided in Colorado as she stated in her complaint.

The prince’s filing came ahead of a scheduled January 4, 2022, hearing before US District Judge Lewis Kaplan on whether to dismiss Giuffre’s lawsuit.

Giuffre accused Andrew of forcing her to have sex more than two decades ago at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, the former associate of financier Jeffrey Epstein, and abusing her at Epstein’s homes in Manhattan and the US Virgin Islands.

Andrew, 61, has denied Giuffre’s claims, and accused her of trying to profit from claims against Epstein and people who knew him. The prince has not been charged with crimes. Giuffre is seeking unspecified damages.

Federal courts may assert “diversity jurisdiction” over lawsuits when no plaintiff shares a state of citizenship with any defendant.

Brettler said Giuffre, 38, failed this test because she has not lived in Colorado since at least 2019, and it was “long-established” that US citizens who permanently resided abroad cannot invoke diversity jurisdiction.

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