NEW YORK (Reuters) – Britain’s Prince Andrew has accepted service in the United States of a sexual assault lawsuit by a woman who said the Duke of York forced her to have sex with him at the London home of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The prince and his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, have agreed that service was effective as of Sept. 21, according to a joint filing on Friday with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Subject to court approval, Andrew would have until Oct. 29 to formally respond to the lawsuit. Andrew has not waived his defenses against Giuffre’s claims, which he had previously “categorically” denied. The agreement appears for now to end a monthlong effort by Andrew’s legal team, including lawyers in Britain, to block Giuffre’s lawsuit at the outset rather than have the 61-year-old prince defend against it.

Source: MetroXpress September 24, 2021 19:10 UTC