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Lawyers for Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre, who has long accused the royal of sexual abuse, finally faced off in Manhattan federal court yesterday, as he attempted to dismiss her civil lawsuit.
The arguments via videoconference came a day after the unsealing of a 2009 settlement between Giuffre and the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew, who is not mentioned in the settlement, has contended that a clause in the settlement bars Giuffre from suing him.
The judge, Lewis Kaplan, questioned lawyers for the prince closely over their claim that the settlement means Giuffre’s lawsuit should be dismissed.
Giuffre, who accused Epstein and his ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell of sexual abuse and forcing her into sex with Prince Andrew at age 17 – an accusation he vehemently denies – received $500,000 in her settlement with the late financier.
Will the settlement agreement protect Prince Andrew? It’s too early to say but the judge did say, apparently speaking rhetorically: “The only people who could enforce it were Epstein and Giuffre.”
When will the judge make a decision? Kaplan promised “a decision pretty soon”.
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew is facing criticism for trying to use the clause to protect himself.
More than 1,000 US public figures aided Trump’s effort to overturn election
More than 1,000 Americans in positions of public trust acted as accomplices in Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election result, participating in the violent insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January or spreading the “big lie” that the vote count had been rigged.
The startling figure underlines the extent to which Trump’s attempt to undermine the foundations of presidential legitimacy has metastasized across the US. Individuals who engaged in arguably the most serious attempt to subvert democracy since the civil war are now inveigling themselves into all levels of government, from Congress and state legislatures down to school boards and other local public bodies.
The finding that 1,011 individuals in the public realm played a role in election subversion around the 2020 presidential race comes from a new pro-democracy initiative that will launch on Thursday on the anniversary of the Capitol assault.
What is the Insurrection Index? It’s an initiative that seeks to identify all those who supported Trump in his attempt to hold on to power despite losing the election, in the hope that they can be held accountable.
How will the anniversary of the 6 January attack be marked? Joe Biden will mark the first anniversary of the deadly assault at the US Capitol this Thursday by honoring the bravery of law enforcement and will “speak to the truth of what happened”.
US law professor condemned for ‘white supremacist’ comments by own dean
The dean of the University of Pennsylvania’s law school has condemned one of his school’s own professors for making racist remarks about Asian people, saying that their recent comments were “xenophobic and white supremacist”.
Prof Amy Wax, who specializes in social welfare law and labor and family economics law, appeared as a guest on the economist Glenn Loury’s podcast when she called the influx of “Asian elites” into the US problematic and made other racist statements, including a call for less immigration from Asian countries.
In a scathing response, Dean Theodore Ruger acknowledged that while Wax’s comments were protected by freedom of speech and she held tenure at the college, they were “diametrically opposed to the policies and ethos of this institution”.
What else did Ruger say about Wax’s comments? He said: “They serve as a persistent and tangible reminder that racism, sexism and xenophobia are not theoretical abstractions but are real and insidious beliefs in this country and in our building.”
Will she keep her job? Despite the condemnation, Wax maintains her employment at the university. Ruger said Wax would be teaching only elective classes in future and would no longer teach required courses.
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In other news …
The Mail on Sunday will pay the Duchess of Sussex just £1 in damages for invading her privacy by publishing a private letter. The court documents also formally confirm that the newspaper – and website MailOnline – has accepted defeat and will not be taking the long-running case to a supreme court appeal.
Newly released video footage appears to show California police officers using a law enforcement dog to severely maul an Uber driver who fell behind on payments for the car he rented to do his job. In video footage, Ali Badr, a 42-year-old Egyptian immigrant, was not resisting when the dogs were released.
Fossil fuel companies and firms that work closely with them are among the biggest spenders on ads designed to look like Google search results, in what campaigners say is an example of “endemic greenwashing”. ExxonMobil, Shell, Aramco and Goldman Sachs were among the top 20 advertisers.
About 20 civilians have been killed and nearly 40 homes destroyed in a Myanmar village, the latest in a series of massacres allegedly committed by the military. The victims of the attack in late December were found in the north-eastern Sagaing region, online news outlet Myanmar Now reported.
Don’t miss this: How to make 2022 the year you finally smash your goals
Many of us have mid- to long-term goals that are ambitious, but (in theory) achievable with the requisite investment of time and effort. Maybe for you, it’s running a marathon – or a 5k. It might be losing a particular amount of weight, or completing a course in yoga or a foreign language. It could be a time-intensive project such as making a quilt or researching your family history. How can we make it happen? Experts explain all.
… or this: Could 2022 be sportswashing’s biggest year?
The year 2022 – which launches into the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing and ends with the World Cup in Qatar – is expected to be a great year for authoritarian regimes looking to cover up their atrocious human rights records. Over the course of a 12-month period, China, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, all of whom have been criticized for human rights violations, will use prestigious sports events to polish their public image on an international stage.
Climate check: Californians could face $500 fines for wasting water under new rules
Californians will not be allowed to water their lawns for 48 hours after rainstorms or let their sprinklers run on to the sidewalk under new, mandatory water-saving rules that could result in a fine of up to $500 a day. The restrictions, adopted by state regulators yesterday, come as California continues to struggle under drought conditions, despite a recent wave of heavy rain and snow. Weather patterns in California have become more unpredictable due to the climate crisis and the state climatologist Michael Anderson said forecasts showed January, February and March could be drier than average.
Last Thing:
A dog saved a hiker injured in the Croatian mountains by lying on top of him for 13 hours until they were rescued, according to local media. The dog, called North, kept Grga Brkic warm after he fell while out hiking and was unable to move. The other two hikers with him raised the alarm. First responders credited the eight-month-old alaskan malamute with having helped keep Brkic safe. “Friendship and love between man and dog have no boundaries,” Croatia’s mountain rescue service said in a Facebook post.
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