A woman who accused Jeffrey Epstein is suing Prince Andrew for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was only 17.
The lawsuit was filed under the Child Victims Act in Manhattan federal court on Monday, according to Just the News.
“I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me,” Virginia Giuffre said in a statement. “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.”
“I did not come to this decision lightly,” she went on. “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.”
For years, Prince Andrew has denied allegations. Indeed, in 2019, he told BBC News: “It didn’t happen.”
“I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened,” he said.
The lawsuit alleges that Andrew sexually abused Giuffre multiple times when she was a minor, one of them being at Ghislaine Maxwell’s London Home when she, Epstein and Andrew allegedly forced the 17-year-old to have sexual intercourse with the British royal.
The lawsuit says that she “feared death or physical injury to herself or another and other repercussions for disobeying” and seeks compensatory and punitive damages.
