LONDON (AP) – A U.S. court will hold a pre-trial conference on civil lawsuit filed by a woman on Monday alleging that Prince Andrew sexually assaulted her, while the two sides discuss whether the prince received appropriate documents in the case.
The woman’s attorneys, Virginia Giuffre, say the documents were handed over to a Metropolitan Police officer on duty at the front doors of Andrew’s home in Windsor Great Park on Aug. 27.
But Blackfords, a law firm that said it represented Andrew “in certain UK matters”, has questioned whether the papers have been duly served and raised the possibility of challenging the court’s jurisdiction in the case, according to a letter of September 6 referred to in court documents. filed by Giuffre’s attorneys.
“We reiterate that our client reserves all its rights, including that of challenging the jurisdiction of U.S. courts (including based on a potentially defective service),” they wrote.
An American judge will finally determine if the papers were delivered correctly. Judge Lewis Kaplan, of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, will hold the first preventive conference of the case by teleconference on Monday.
The prince has repeatedly denied allegations of the lawsuit filed by Giuffre, a longtime accuser of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
When the lawsuit was filed last month, legal experts suggested he leave Andrew without good options, as Queen Elizabeth II’s second son seeks to repair his image and return to public life.
If the prince tries to ignore the lawsuit, he runs the risk of the court finding him in default and ordering him to pay damages. And if he decides to fight, Andrew faces years of sordid headlines as the case makes its way through the courts.
Guiffre’s lawyer, David Boies, said in court documents that it was unlikely Andrew would ignore the lawsuit.
“Blackfords lawyers, who have apparently instructed to evade and answer the service, have confirmed that Prince Andrew himself has already notified this lawsuit and is assessing his chances of success,” Boies wrote. “And even if Blackfords had not confirmed so much, any other conclusion would be unlikely: world-renowned media reported on the filing of the plaintiff’s complaint and hundreds, if not thousands, of it have been published. ‘articles on this demand’.
The lawsuit is another unwanted story for the royal family, which reminds the public of Andrew’s ties to Epstein two years after his death. The British royal family is also recovering from the accusations of racism and insensitivity made by Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, earlier this year.