Lawyers for Prince Andrew have written to a US judge to demand a jury trial in a civil lawsuit brought by a woman who has accused him of sexual assault.
Virginia Giuffre, 38, alleges that he sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager at the homes of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
The Duke of York has consistently denied all the allegations against him.
In the court documents, his legal team submitted several reasons why they believe the case should be dismissed.
The 11-page document filed on Wednesday states that Prince Andrew “admits that he met Epstein in or around 1999,” but denies that he participated in any abuse with the late financier.
It also adds that the prince hopes for “further relieve as this court may deem just and proper”.
The lawyers argue that Ms Giuffre has no legal basis to bring the case since she is a permanent resident of Australia.
They also refer to a 2009 settlement agreement between Ms Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein, a longtime associate of Prince Andrew.
Epstein, a convicted sex offender, killed himself in prison in 2019 while awaiting a sex trafficking trial. British socialite Maxwell was found guilty last month of grooming underage girls to be abused by him.
Ms Giuffre is suing the Queen’s son for allegedly sexually assaulting her in London, New York and the Virgin Islands when she was a teenager.
She is seeking unspecified damages, but there is speculation the sum could be in the millions of dollars.
Earlier the month, a judge ruled that the case could proceed leading Buckingham Palace to strip Prince Andrew of his military titles and patronages. It said he would contest the case as a private individual.
The new court documents describe the Queen’s second son as “Prince Andrew, Duke of York aka Andrew Albert Christian Edward, in his personal capacity”.
