Prince Andrew Targets Virginia Giuffre's Residency Status Amid Legal Battle Over Sex Abuse Case

© AFP 2023 / JOHN THYSBritain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York, attends a ceremony commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Bruges on September 7, 2019 in Bruges
Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York, attends a ceremony commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Bruges on September 7, 2019 in Bruges - Sputnik International, 1920, 29.12.2021
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In his bid to battle sex abuse accusations by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, Prince Andrew has already challenged the New York Child Victims' Act cited in the case. Per the Duke of York, the age of consent in New York is 17, and therefore Giuffre (who was 17 at the time of the alleged abuse), cannot address this legal mechanism in her allegations.
Prince Andrew's legal team filed a motion on Tuesday to challenge the residency status of Virginia Giuffre, his accuser, arguing that she is not a US citizen, and therefore the New York court has no jurisdiction over the case.
According to Sky News, citing legal documents filed by Andrew's attorneys, Giuffre has "spent less than two years living in the United States since moving to Australia in 2002", even though she "alleges she is a citizen of the state of Colorado". The Duke's legal team argues that this invalidates her complaint.
Prince Andrew's lawyers assert that Giuffre's ties to Colorado are "very limited", pointing to her Australian driver's license and property and noting that the accuser "only recently registered to vote in Colorado using her mother and stepfather's mailing address there".

"The court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over this dispute and must dismiss the action as a matter of law", the motion reads.

The Duke's legal team requests that US District Judge Lewis Kaplan halt the proceedings while Giuffre's residency status is investigated.
Prince Andrew earlier challenged the legal mechanisms cited in Giuffre's case, claiming that she cannot use the New York Child Victims' Act in her accusations as the age of consent in New York is 17, and Giuffre had reached this age when the embattled British royal allegedly abused her.
Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York, attends a ceremony commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Bruges on September 7, 2019 in Bruges - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.12.2021
Prince Andrew’s Lawyers Claim Royal’s Accuser Was of Age When Purported Intercourse Occurred
The New York Child Victims' Act classifies those under 18 as minors. Giuffre, who is one of the alleged victims of late American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has claimed that Prince Andrew sexually abused her in London when she was 17.
The Duke of York has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, blaming Giuffre for attempting to capitalise on him. In a bid to get the lawsuit thrown out, Prince Andrew's legal team has referred, among other things, to a settlement deal made between Giuffre and Epstein in 2009, claiming it invalidates the accuser's allegations against Andrew.
Along with the legal battle between Giuffre and Prince Andrew, another one is taking place in New York around Epstein's alleged "madam", Ghislaine Maxwell. As of Tuesday, according to reports, the jury failed to reach a verdict on the fifth day of deliberations, likely to set a new round of deliberations for New Year's Eve.
Maxwell, who is accused of procuring minors for Jeffrey Epstein for his sex trafficking ring, has said that she is innocent.
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