PRINCE ANDREW HAS acknowledged he has been served with a lawsuit from a woman who claims he assaulted her, US officials have said.
Virginia Giuffre is seeking damages after alleging that The Duke of York sexually assaulted her when she was under 18.
He vehemently denies the allegations.
They are part of a civil claim which is being brought through the US courts.
Today’s acknowledgement was confirmed in a joint agreement which was signed by Andrew’s lawyer and approved by a Manhattan federal judge before entered into the public court record.
The papers were signed on Andrew’s behalf by his Los Angeles-based lawyer Andrew Brettler.
The papers were served on 21 September and Andrew has until 29 October to provide a response.
A further legal conference has been set for 3 November.
Giuffre is suing Queen Elizabeth II’s son for allegedly sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions.
She claims she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with Andrew when she was aged 17 and a minor under US law.
Epstein was found dead in his cell at a Manhattan federal jail in August 2019 while he awaited a sex trafficking trial.
The death was ruled to be suicide.
Giuffre is seeking unspecified damages, but there is speculation the sum could be in the millions of dollars.
Court documents show that lawyers for both sides spoke on 21 September and the time for Andrew to respond was extended.
This latest point in the legal process is so a judge can be satisfied that proper notification of the allegations has been delivered to the defendant and they have enough time to respond.
In a previous legal hearing Brettler said that Giuffre had previously entered into a “settlement agreement” with Epstein in 2009 that would nullify her case.
The 2009 settlement is currently sealed.
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