Virginia Giuffre agrees to be interviewed by Prince Andrews lawyers in April in sexual assault case – iNews

Virginia Giuffre will be interviewed by Prince Andrews lawyers in her sexual assault case against the Duke of York in April, i can reveal.

The agreement from Ms Giuffre to be deposed was struck overnight following several requests from the Dukes legal team, and follows Prince Andrews agreement to be deposed in March.

Ms Giuffre is expected to face questions about her allegations from the Dukes lawyers, Andrew Brettler and Melissa Lerner.

While a precise date in April for Ms Giuffres deposition is due to be agreed later today, a location is yet to be settled.

However, i understands Mr Brettler is willing to interview Ms Giuffre face-to-face at any location of her choosing, including in New York where her complaint against the Duke was made, or in Perth, Australia, where she lives with her family.

Mr Brettler is understood to have initially requested a deposition date from Ms Giuffre soon after her claims of three sexual assaults were submitted to a New York court last August.

A source with knowledge of the proceedings said: The Dukes legal team first asked Ms Giuffre for a date for her deposition soon after the case was filed. Her legal team said she would respond, but failed to provide a date. The same happened with half a dozen or more subsequent requests.

The US legal process permits a period of discovery, which allows both sides to collect evidence before a trial, and often includes each participant being interviewed by opposing counsel. The discovery process in this case lasts until 14 July.

Last weekend it emerged that Prince Andrew had agreed to be deposed by Ms Giuffres lawyer, David Boies, and his colleague Sigrid McCawley in a neutral London location on 10 March. The deposition is expected to last two days.

Ms Giuffre claims the Duke sexually assaulted her on three occasions when she was 17 and being trafficked by the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

She claims Prince Andrew abused her at Ghislaine Maxwells home in London, in Epsteins mansion in New York and on Epsteins private island in the US Virgin Islands. Epstein was ruled to have taken his own life in prison in 2019 while awaiting his sex trafficking trial.

The Duke has consistently denied all the allegations, and his lawyers have said he is prepared to go before a jury to fight the claim. Any trial could take place as early as September.

Frustrated by Ms Giuffres failure to respond to requests to be interviewed, a source close to the Duke said last weekend: We agreed to voluntarily produce the Duke for a deposition on 10 March. Despite repeated requests, Ms Giuffre still hasnt committed to a date or location for her deposition.

Mr Boies and Ms McCawley were contacted for comment but did not respond by the time of publication.

View post:

Virginia Giuffre agrees to be interviewed by Prince Andrews lawyers in April in sexual assault case - iNews