Kaplan said it is also too early to decide whether Giuffre and Epstein had a “clear and unequivocal” intention to dispense people like the prince through a settlement reached in 2009, as part of a lawsuit by Giuffre against the late financier.
Attorneys for Andrés and Giuffre did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The decision clears the way for Giuffre’s case against Andrés to follow its course for a trial that Kaplan has said could begin by the end of the year. Although the prince is not charged with criminal charges, his ties to Epstein have damaged his reputation and caused him to lose many royal functions.
Andrés has denied allegations by Giuffre that he forced her to have sex more than two decades ago at the London home of Epstein’s former associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, and that he abused her at two other properties of the financier.
Kaplan said the “confusing” language included in the 2009 Giuffre and Epstein settlement suggests they may have reached “a kind of middle ground” on whether Andres or others in similar positions would be protected from future lawsuits.
“We don’t know what, if anything, went through the minds of the parties,” Kaplan wrote. “The parties have articulated at least two reasonable interpretations of critical language. Therefore, the agreement is ambiguous.”
Settlement agreements can restrict plaintiffs like Giuffre from continuing to litigate, even against third parties.
Source From: Ambito
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