Los Angeles attorney Andrew Brettler, who appeared virtually during a pre-trial conference call in New York on Andrew’s behalf, said the prince’s legal team would challenge the validity of the lawsuit.
Brettler referred to an agreement that Andrew’s lawyers said Giuffre had previously entered into, which prevented him from pursuing litigation against anyone related to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
“We believe, however, that this is an unfounded, unfeasible and potentially illegal lawsuit that the plaintiff has filed against the Duke. There has been a settlement agreement that the plaintiff has entered into a prior action releasing the Duke and others any potential liability, “Brettler said.
Giuffre accuses Andrew of having sex with her when he was a minor and filed a civil lawsuit against the prince in New York in August. Andrew has in the past denied similar allegations by Giuffre.
But the case cannot continue until the judicial authorities determine that the legal documents have been legally served on the prince. Brettler said Monday that the Duke of York’s legal team had been in contact with the UK High Court, which they said should take into account the service or formal notification of the claim.
“We have proceeded in the service of Prince Andrew in various ways in accordance with Article 10 of the Hague Convention,” a Giuffre lawyer, David Boies, said during Monday’s hearing.
Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan and Giuffre’s attorneys agreed that it was premature to discuss the previous settlement agreement with Epstein, which is currently sealed in another civil action in New York’s southern district.
“I think we’re making it more complicated than it already is,” the judge said Monday in court.
Kaplan ordered a timetable for the parties to file procedural motions that will be developed before a decision is made on the service of the lawsuit and whether this resolution agreement should be shared with the prince’s attorney. A face-to-face hearing is scheduled for October 13 in New York.
CNN contacted attorneys for both parties to comment.
Giuffre says she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with her friends, including Prince Andrew, the queen’s second child, when she was a minor. Although Andrew has denied the allegations, he has been seen in photos with Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialist and Epstein’s ex-girlfriend, who is currently accused of conspiracy and sex trafficking among other charges.
U.S. authorities have previously accused Andrew of not cooperating with attempts to interview him as part of the investigation into the alleged Epstein sex trafficking ring and Maxwell is suspected of operating.