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20 August 2021 | Podcasts | Article by Alan Collins

HJ Talks About Abuse: US Civil Case Against Prince Andrew


HJ Talks About Abuse: US Civil Case Against Prince AndrewHJ Talks About Abuse: US Civil Case Against Prince AndrewHJ Talks About Abuse: US Civil Case Against Prince Andrew

In this week’s episode of the HJ Talks About Abuse podcast, we look at the civil case that has been brought against Prince Andrew in the US, at a New York federal court under the state’s Child Victims Act.

This is brought by Virginia Giuffre who claims that Prince Andrew had sex with her while she was 17 (a minor), with the knowledge that she had been trafficked by his former friend, Jeffrey Epstein. She claims that incidents occurred in both New York and in London.

Prince Andrew is the sole defendant to the civil suit. Thus far, he does not appear to have responded to the issuing of the claim.

Often, the place of residence of the Defendant and the place of the injury would be the place that has jurisdiction and where the case should ultimately be brought. In this case, the UK would seem suitable. Alan and Feleena discuss why the claim may be being brought in the US as opposed to the UK.

Giuffre’s lawyers, we assume, have considered the limitation issues and the applicable laws in both the US and UK and found the US preferable for Giuffre.

Another consideration appears to be tactical and in relation to the other criminal proceedings that have occurred. This includes the case against Ghislaine Maxwell. She has pleaded not guiltyto sex-trafficking charges and faces trial in November. (Epstein took his own life in a US federal jailin August 2019, a month after he was arrested on the same charges.)

The case will, no doubt, develop and receive a lot of media coverage which we will be following with interest.

Sources:

We encourage anyone who has comments or concerns relating to this subject, or about abuse in general, to get in touch with Alan Collins

Author bio

Alan Collins is one of the best known and most experienced solicitors in the field of child abuse litigation and has acted in many high profile cases, including the Jimmy Savile and Haut de la Garenne abuse scandals.  Alan has represented interested parties before public inquiries including the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, and IICSA (Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse).

Internationally, Alan works in Australia, South East Asia, Uganda, Kenya, and California representing clients in high profile sexual abuse cases. Alan also spoke at the Third Regional Workshop on Justice for Children in East Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok hosted by Unicef and HCCH (Hague Conference on Private International Law).

Disclaimer: The information on the Hugh James website is for general information only and reflects the position at the date of publication. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be treated as such. If you would like to ensure the commentary reflects current legislation, case law or best practice, please contact the blog author.

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