Judge: Prince Andrew sex lawsuit trial likely in late 2022

NEW YORK – An American woman's claims that Britain's Prince Andrew sexually abused her erstwhile she was 17 volition astir apt beryllium tried successful a New York tribunal precocious adjacent year, if they past a ineligible challenge, a justice said Wednesday.

Lawyers for Andrew have asked the tribunal to propulsion retired the civilian lawsuit by Virginia Giuffre, who says she was coerced into intersexual encounters with the prince successful 2001 by the financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself portion awaiting proceedings connected unrelated enactment trafficking charges.

They said the prince ne'er abused Giuffre and accused her of seeking “another payday” astatine Andrew's expense.

U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan said a proceedings day would apt autumn betwixt September and December 2022, though that could alteration due to the fact that of factors including courthouse coronavirus protocols bounds however galore trials tin hap astatine once.

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Wednesday’s conference, conducted electronically, lasted little than 10 minutes and featured lone the justice and 2 lawyers, David Boies for Giuffre and Andrew Brettler for the prince.

Both attorneys said they expected to depose 8 to 12 individuals, including Giuffre and Andrew, and a “number of imaginable witnesses.”

The Associated Press does not typically place radical who accidental they are victims of intersexual battle unless they take to travel guardant publicly, arsenic Giuffre has.

Meanwhile, Epstein’s erstwhile girlfriend, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, is scheduled to spell to proceedings this period connected transgression charges alleging she recruited teenage girls for Epstein to sexually maltreatment from 1994 to 2004. Potential jurors for that proceedings statesman filling retired questionnaires Thursday.

Opening statements are scheduled for Nov. 29. Maxwell has pleaded not guilty.

Giuffre has accused Maxwell of being progressive successful trafficking her to Andrew and different almighty men, but her allegations aren't portion of the transgression case.

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Maxwell’s lawyer connected Wednesday again asked a tribunal to escaped her connected bail and likened her attraction successful a national jailhouse successful New York to what was experienced by the fictional quality Hannibal Lecter successful the movie “Silence of the Lambs.”

Attorney Bobbi Sternheim said successful a missive to the justice that though Maxwell, 59, is not being kept successful a cage oregon forced to deterioration a integrative look defender arsenic Lecter was, the conditions of detention are “reprehensible.”

Sternheim said surveillance of Maxwell astatine the jailhouse was “disturbing and invasive.”

U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan has thrice earlier rejected Maxwell’s exertion to beryllium released, adjacent aft she offered to station millions of dollars successful bail, beryllium guarded astir the clock, deterioration an ankle bracelet and renounce her citizenship successful England and France.

Maxwell has had to deterioration shackles connected her ankles and waist and handcuffs connected her wrists during tribunal appearances. Sternheim complained that erstwhile Maxwell was brought to a courthouse Monday, she was forced to beryllium unsocial for hours successful a tiny chilly cell, wherever she was poked successful the limb by a defender erstwhile she fell asleep.

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In her renewed petition for bail, Sternheim said Maxwell has been subjected to carnal and affectional maltreatment by jailhouse guards successful a installation wherever it is hard to hole for proceedings amid unsanitary surviving conditions, insufficient nutrition and slumber deprivation arsenic guards radiance a airy into her compartment each 15 minutes arsenic she sleeps.

“There are cameras connected her constantly, astir are stationary, but 1 camera follows her arsenic she moves passim the facility, and is perpetually surveilling her, adjacent during confidential attorney-client conferences,” Sternheim wrote, saying Maxwell had mislaid hairsbreadth and astatine slightest 15 pounds (7 kilograms) of assemblage weight.

“Currently, she suffers from headaches and backmost symptom and wide carnal weakness,” the lawyer said.

She besides said her lawsuit is taxable to galore pat searches regular and has been touched successful a sexually inappropriate mode by corrections officers connected aggregate occasions.

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A connection for remark was sent to the Bureau of Prisons media office.

Sternheim said the nightly airy interruptions are an overreaction to Epstein’s termination successful jail.

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