Prince Andrew makes 'unprecedented' request for all witness testimony in sex abuse case to be kept secret

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Prince Andrew makes 'unprecedented' request for all witness testimony in sex abuse case to be kept secret The request was made in a letter submitted to court as part of a fresh attempt to get the civil proceedings thrown out Photo by Steve Parsons/PA Wire/Pool via Reuters/File

Article content LONDON — Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has made an “unprecedented” request for all witness testimony taken in his sexual abuse case to be kept secret, it has emerged.

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Article content The Duke wants depositions, including his own, to remain under seal, even if neither party declares the evidence confidential. We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Prince Andrew makes 'unprecedented' request for all witness testimony in sex abuse case to be kept secret Back to video Lawyers for the Duke’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre, said there was “no logic or authority for such a provision.” The revelation was made in a letter from Sigrid McCawley, for Giuffre, to Andrew Brettler, the Duke’s lead counsel, dated Dec 24. It was lodged with the court on Tuesday as part of a fresh attempt to get the civil case thrown out. Brettler has asked a judge to halt proceedings, claiming that Giuffre was not a U.S. resident and did not live in Colorado, as her lawsuit suggested. Instead, he said she lived with her husband and three children in Perth, Australia, and was therefore unable to make the claim under federal court law.

Article content Giuffre, now 38, has alleged she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on three separate occasions in 2001, when she was 17. She is seeking unspecified damages. More On This Topic Meghan, Charles may be called to testify in Prince Andrew's sex case Giuffre says Prince Andrew trying to shame her with 'baseless' attacks Before challenging the court’s jurisdiction, the Duke had been due to send proposed dates and locations for his own deposition by Monday this week. He had already asked for a three-week extension to respond to discovery requests “in light of the holidays and COVID.” McCawley expressed frustration with the latest attempt to delay proceedings on an issue that could have been raised sooner. She said they had asked three times for the Duke to select a date for his own deposition yet he had never responded.

Article content McCawley also noted that as part of the discovery process, the Duke’s lawyers had already asked for proof that Giuffre was a citizen of Colorado and that they were due to respond with the relevant documents by Jan 14, as previously agreed. She referred to a draft protective order, drawn up at the Duke’s request, which would prevent the disclosure of certain information. But she added: “The main substantive disagreement in the parties’ drafts is your inclusion of an unprecedented paragraph, which would allow you to keep deposition materials sealed from the public even if neither party designates the underlying testimony as confidential.” She added that because there was “no logic or authority for such a provision” and because it was deemed too late to ask the court for a confidentiality order, they would raise the issue in court next Tuesday, when Judge Lewis Kaplan hears arguments on the Duke’s motion to have the case dismissed. In a joint order on Wednesday, U.S. District Court judges ordered that a 2009 settlement agreement between the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and Giuffre, which bears directly on Giuffre’s civil lawsuit against the prince, be released. The agreement will be released on or about Jan. 3, 2022, after the judges found no reason to keep it under seal. — With additional reporting by Reuters

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