The first preliminary hearing was held Monday in the civil lawsuit filed by one of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged victims of trafficking, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims that Prince Andrew sexually assaulted her when she was 17 years old.
Lawyers representing both parties discussed whether the process by which the documents were served on the Duke of York was legitimate. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan finally gave Giuffre’s lawyers a week to determine whether or not there were British authorities involved in the document service process.
Prince Andrew did not attend the telephone hearing with the Southern District of New York, which was scheduled for 4 p.m. EDT. The Duke’s lawyer in the United States, Andrew Brettler, joined on his behalf. Giuffre is represented by a handful of prominent lawyers, including David Boies and Sigrid McCawley.
Brettler is no stranger to defending reputable clients against allegations of sexual abuse. It has a large number of renowned former clientele, including Bill Cosby and Armie Hammer. Meanwhile, Boies previously represented Elizabeth Holmes, who is currently on trial for allegations related to her healthcare company, Theranos, and disgraced filmmaker Harvey Weinstein.
Virginia Giuffre long ago alleged that she was abused by the Duke of York when she was a minor.
(Getty Images)
QUESTION FROM PRINCE ANDREW’S LAWYERS IF THE LEGAL DOCUMENTS WERE SERVED CORRECTLY, THEY COULD FIGHT OUR JURISDICTION
Giuffre’s lawyers have said they served him with legal documents on the morning of Aug. 27. The legal team said the documents were handed over to a metropolitan police officer on duty at the front doors of Andrew’s home in Windsor Great Park at 9:30 p.m. Assuming Andrew received the documents, he would be required to respond within 21 days of the subpoena, or “a default judgment will be filed against the reparation required in the complaint,” Giuffre’s lawyers said in the documents.
But Blackfords, a law firm that said it represented Andrew “in certain UK matters”, has questioned whether the papers have been duly served and has 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.
The 2001 photo that was included in the court files shows Prince Andrew with his arm around the waist of 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre, who says Jeffrey Epstein paid him to have sex with the prince. Andrew has denied the charges. In the background is Epstein’s girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.
(Second Circuit Court of Appeals of the United States)
PRINCE ANDREW’S LEGAL TEAM ADVISES HIM TO STAY A NEW POSITION
“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.
During the approximately 30-minute hearing, Brettler called Giuffre’s lawsuit “unfounded, unfeasible and potentially illegal,” in part because the parties had previously reached an agreement.
“There has been a settlement agreement that the plaintiff has entered into in a prior action,” Brettler argued. “This frees the Duke and others from any potential responsibility.” Kaplan interrupted Brettler, asking him to reserve the discussion to the question of the legitimacy of the paper service.
Brettler also argued strongly that a UK High Court should rule on whether documents were legitimately served and said the papers were not served “in accordance with the Hague Convention”.
Giuffre’s lawyers insisted the papers were legitimately served. After coming and going, which seemed to exasperate the jurist, Kaplan told lawyers he would file a petition with the UK Central Authority to serve Andrew, if Giuffre’s lawyer asks the court to do so in one week.
Brettler also wrote in court documents filed Monday morning that he planned to challenge the jurisdiction of the case, the Law & Crime Network reported. And during the hearing, he asked the court if he could file details of a settlement agreement for another stamped case, which he believed would exonerate his client. Kaplan responded that the matter was outside its jurisdiction.
Lawyers will return to court, this time in person, on October 13th.
Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations in the lawsuit filed by Giuffre, a longtime accused of Epstein, a sex offender now convicted.
Last month, Giuffre accused Andrew of drumming and intentionally inflicting emotional distress. The lawsuit alleges she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times by order of Epstein.
Speaking to Fox News after the hearing, Julie Rendelman, a New York-based criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, said raising the question of whether the papers were properly served was probably a way for Andrew’s lawyers to gain time.
David Boies, who represents several of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged victims, arrives at the center, with Annie Farmer, right, and Virginia Giuffre, alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein, second left, in federal court in New York, USA, on Tuesday, May 27 August 2019 Epstein, a convicted pedophile, was killed in prison earlier this month while awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy and trafficking in minors by sex. Photographer: Mark Kauzlarich / Bloomberg via Getty Images
(Photographer: Mark Kauzlarich / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Any tactics that delay the case will be taken,” he told Fox News, “and this is just one of them.“
Rendelman is not involved in the case. Assuming the allegations are true, Rendelman said, people’s opinion is that Andrew “has been dodging having to deal with any consequences.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
“I think there will be implications for him to be real in terms of. How hard they will fight to prevent him, to protect him as much as possible,” he said. “This will take a long time before we get anywhere. And I think the first question everyone will want to know is: will he be in a scenario where he will be interviewed? Will he have to sit in the depositions?”
He added: “I guess they’ll never let that happen.”
Fox News’ Tyler McCarthy contributed to this report, as did The Associated Press.