A settlement has been reached in the lawsuit accusing Britain's Prince Andrew of sexually abusing Virginia Giuffre when she was 17-years-old, according to a court filing. David Boies, an attorney representing Giuffre, said in a filing in Manhattan federal court that a settlement in principle had been reached. He added that they would request a dismissal of the lawsuit within a month. "Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights," a statement attached to Boies' letter read. "Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Giuffre's character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks." The sum of the out-of-court settlement, however, was not disclosed. Giuffre sued the Queen's second son in August, accusing him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager through Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender. Epstein took his own life in a Manhattan federal prison in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. The statement on Tuesday continued: "Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others." Andrew has denied Giuffre's allegations and previously attempted to get the lawsuit thrown out. Lisa Bloom, a lawyer representing eight of Epstein's victims, called the settlement a victory for Giuffre. "She has accomplished what no one else could: getting Prince Andrew to stop his nonsense and side with sexual abuse victims," Bloom said on social media. At the beginning of the year, Prince Andrew returned all of his military affiliations and patronages after a judge rejected his attempt to dismiss the case. He had already withdrawn from royal duties following a widely criticized broadcast interview in late 2019 in which he said he did not recall having met Giuffre. — Euronews
