Victim of Jeffrey Epstein files sex abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew

Giuffre's lawyer filed the lawsuit at a federal court in Manhattan, according to the Associated Press.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in August last year signed an extension for the "look back window" of the Child Victims Act. It's on these grounds that Virginia Giuffre is bringing suit alleging she was trafficked to Prince Andrew and suffered sexual abuse by him.

It's said the events took place when Giuffre was 17 years old. The court documents outline that one instance of forced sexual intercourse happened at Ghislaine Maxwell's home in London, while another occasion happened in New York. In the case of the latter, Maxwell made Giuffre sit on Prince Andrew’s lap while he proceeded to touch her.

Virginia Giuffre's suit adds another encounter with Prince Andrew happened on Epstein's private island.

Giuffre's statement:

"I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me. 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."

She goes on to say she understands the gravity of her decision. As someone with a family, Giuffre is worried about facing backlash from Prince Andrew's people. But she's doing it anyway because Giuffre doesn't want to let down abuse survivors.

In a November 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, Prince Andrew publicly denied any claims with regards to his accuser.

The Palace previously told Fox News: "It is emphatically denied that The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation."

Giuffre's situation was made prominently known after winning a defamation lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell in 2017. Documents unsealed by the court in relation to that case from July 2019 onward, helped reignite the case into the public light.

As for the other victims of Jeffrey Epstein, today it was announced that almost all of the 150 people who were determined to have legitimate claims have accepted $121 million in payout damages from his estate.

Those who denied a settlement likely did so to leave the option for a lawsuit open.

Jeffrey Epstein's longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell faces trial this November for sex trafficking charges. Epstein is said to have killed himself in a New York jail in August 2019.

British royalty weren't the only high-profile figures connected to Jeffrey Epstein. Bill Gates expressed regrets about the time he knew Epstein. Bill Clinton's associations with both Epstein and Maxwell have been noted on several occasions in the past few months, too.

There's said to be international agreements that allow US and British authorities to cooperate with each other in terms of information gathering on this matter.