Longtime Jeffrey Epstein accuser sues Prince Andrew, citing intercourse assault at 17

One of Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime accusers sued Prince Andrew on Monday, taking accusations that she has repeatedly publicly lodged towards him, together with that he sexually assaulted her when she was 17, to a proper venue.

Lawyers for the sufferer filed the lawsuit in Manhattan federal court docket, the place Epstein was charged criminally with intercourse trafficking a month earlier than he killed himself at age 66 in August 2019 in an adjoining federal jail the place he was ordered to await trial.The sufferer has repeatedly made her allegations towards Epstein, his onetime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, and Andrew, however the lawsuit was the primary time she has immediately confronted Andrew in such a proper setting. It steps up public relations stress on the prince, even when he stays past the attain of the courts.In a press release, the sufferer stated she was “holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me.””The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but to reclaim one’s life by speaking out and demanding justice,” she stated.”I did not come to this decision lightly,” she added. “As a mother and a wife, my family comes first – and I know that this action will subject me to further attacks by Prince Andrew and his surrogates – but I knew if I did not pursue this action, I would be letting them and victims everywhere down.”ALSO READ | Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide in jail sparks recent spherical of conspiracy theoriesIn late 2019, Prince Andrew informed BBC Newsnight that he by no means had intercourse with the accuser, saying, “It didn’t happen.”He stated he has “no recollection” of ever assembly her and informed an interviewer there are “a number of things that are wrong” about her account, which alleges the encounter occurred in 2001.”I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened,” Andrew stated.The interview was broadly panned by critics who stated Andrew appeared insensitive to Epstein’s victims. Afterward, the prince give up royal duties.The sufferer has lengthy stated Maxwell recruited her at age 17 to be sexually abused by Epstein and Maxwell from 1999 to 2002.ALSO READ | Disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein commits suicide in prisonAccording to the lawsuit, which sought unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, the prince abused her on a number of events when she was underneath the age of 18.During every of the alleged acts, the accuser was given “express or implied threats” by Epstein, Maxwell, and/or Andrew to interact in sexual acts with the prince, the lawsuit stated.It stated that she “feared death or physical injury to herself or another and other repercussions for disobeying” the trio due to their “powerful connections, wealth, and authority.”It stated that on one event, the prince sexually abused her in Maxwell’s London residence when Epstein, Maxwell and Prince Andrew compelled her to have sexual activity with the prince towards her will.ALSO READ | Ghislaine Maxwell’s deposition materials may unfold like ‘wildfire,’ threaten truthful trial, legal professionals sayOn one other event, the prince sexually abused the sufferer in Epstein’s New York mansion when Maxwell compelled her and one other sufferer to sit down on Andrew’s lap as he touched her, the lawsuit stated.The lawsuit additionally alleged that Andrew sexually abused the accuser on Epstein’s non-public island within the U.S. Virgin Islands.Andrew knew her age on the time primarily based on communications with Epstein and Maxwell, the lawsuit added. It stated he went forward anyway “for the purpose of gratifying his sexual desires.”The lawsuit was introduced underneath the Child Victims Act, a 2019 New York state regulation that enables victims to briefly make authorized claims of abuse that occurred after they had been kids no matter when or how way back the alleged abuse occurred.Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not responsible to intercourse trafficking prices in Manhattan federal court docket, the place she faces trial in November. She is held with out bail. Her legal professionals didn’t reply to requests for remark.ALSO READ | Jeffrey Epstein’s post-mortem report exhibits damaged neck: SourcesAs a part of a unbroken probe into Epstein and his encounters with girls and teenage ladies, Manhattan federal prosecutors final 12 months formally requested to talk with Andrew.The request, much like issuing a subpoena, was made underneath the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, an settlement between the 2 nations to share proof and data in prison circumstances. U.S. prosecutors reportedly made a proper request by way of the British authorities to interview Andrew.Brad Edwards, a lawyer who represents dozens of Epstein victims, has stated that the prince has didn’t reply questions for civil lawsuits earlier than.”I’ve always been given the impression that, whether he has immunity or not, he certainly behaves like he does,” Edwards stated.