A U.S. judge has rejected a bid by Britain's Prince Andrew to dismiss Virginia Giuffre's lawsuit accusing the Duke of York of sexually abusing her when she was 17 and being trafficked by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, APA reports citing Reuters.
In a decision made public on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan said it was premature to consider the prince's efforts to cast doubt on Giuffre's claims that he battered her and intentionally caused her emotional distress, though he would be allowed to do so at a trial.
Kaplan said it was also too soon to decide whether Giuffre and Epstein intended to release people like Andrew from a 2009 settlement of Giuffre's lawsuit against the late financier.
Lawyers for Andrew and Giuffre did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The decision clears the way for Giuffre's case against Andrew to stay on track for a trial that Kaplan has said could begin late this year.
While the prince is not accused of criminal wrongdoing, his ties to Epstein have damaged his reputation and cost him many royal duties.
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