The first court hearing in Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s lawsuit against Prince Andrew happens today. I would imagine a significant amount of time at the hearing will be devoted to whether Andrew has actually been “served” and informed of the lawsuit. According to Virginia’s lawyer, Andrew was served. The process server left the papers with Andrew’s security after getting the runaround for weeks. Besides, Andrew has been well-informed. He’s just not doing much about the lawsuit himself. Apparently, Andrew has hired some kind of legal dream team here in the US, and he hopes that he can just throw mummy’s money at the problem and it will go away.
Prince Andrew has assembled a ‘dream team’ of high-powered American lawyers and feels ‘confident’ that the civil case against him for rape and sexual assault will be thrown out of court. A source familiar with the legal team appointed by the Duke of York to fight a multi-million dollar lawsuit filed by accuser Virginia Roberts – which has its first court hearing tomorrow – told The Mail on Sunday last night: ‘The Prince’s UK team has slowly but surely been putting together a team of highly-skilled, big-name lawyers to fight on his behalf in the US. People will be surprised by the names of those who will be defending him. It’s a dream team of some of the sharpest minds in the business. There is a great deal of confidence among everyone, Andrew included, that the civil suit will be thrown out before it ever comes to court.’
The Duke’s legal team in the United States is believed to include Blair Berk, a high-powered, Los Angeles-based lawyer whose previous clients include Harvey Weinstein, Britney Spears, Leonardo DiCaprio and Mel Gibson.
‘Blair is one of the best in the business. She’s nicknamed The Rottweiler,’ said a lawyer who has worked with her. ‘She takes no prisoners. If anyone can clear Andrew’s name and sort out this mess, she can.’
Intriguingly, Ms Roberts’s lawyer David Boies attempted to serve a copy of the civil suit on Ms Berk. Paperwork filed in New York on Friday contained a response from her saying she was ‘not authorised’ to accept the documents. She failed to respond to questions yesterday about whether she was representing the Prince.
He is ‘unlikely’ to have lawyers representing him tomorrow when a New York judge will hear from Ms Roberts’s lawyers, who will outline the civil case against him and attempt to offer ‘proof’ that they have successfully served the lawsuit on Andrew in the UK. The source said: ‘The other side are very good at garnering headlines but ultimately it comes down to the law. The Prince’s legal team has no intention of validating this frivolous suit by attending Monday’s hearing. They are confident they can get Virginia’s suit dismissed.’
As we’ve discussed before, clearly Andrew has never taken any of this seriously. Virginia’s lawyers have said that they attempted to make contact with Andrew’s attorneys for months, even years, only to be brushed off and ignored. Now he’s bringing that same energy to the lawsuit. I don’t know. I think he will regret not negotiating with Virginia privately and quietly.
Meanwhile, Andrew hosted a shooting party at Balmoral over the weekend. The Daily Mail quoted an unnamed “royal source” who said: “This is so brazen it is unbelievable. Prince Andrew is carrying on like nothing has happened and as if he hasn’t got a care in the world. It has been bad enough that he appears to have been seeking refuge at Balmoral, where the Queen is trying to have quiet time after a tough year… and it is also tone deaf as if he does not care about what is going on with the legal case.” I mean… the whole reason Andrew is in Balmoral is so that he can hide behind his 95-year-old mother and make HER clean up his mess.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, WENN.
Andrew is just the bottom of a shoe at this point. But yes, let’s make Prince Harry the problem.
That pic always will give me chills. Just creeps me out.
I could be wrong, I have no real legal law knowledge, but can the dream team stop the lawsuit? I don’t think they can. Sort out the mess? I find it telling they use the word MESS to describe this situation. And of course he is carrying on like it’s no big deal – he thinks and believes he is above this MESS.
I do want to add, I feel for Virginia. She is taking on some powerful people and I can’t imagine the fear she may have right now. I put NOTHING beneath these slimeballs. Stay strong and stay well Virginia.
@ Seraphina, I am with you. I hope that Virginia gets her day in court as well as keeping her strength and dignity throughout it all. I hope Virginia keeps people she loves and are supportive close to her as the bring a group around her. Virginia is a courageous woman who deserves justice after all of these years of the trauma that she has experienced.
And Boise is going to eat his chew up and spit out Andrew!! What a disgusting and vile predator he is.
Andrew’s picture with Virginia is his “I don’t know her” picture. By the way, I think the BM is under the impression that if they just say “dream team” enough times (I counted ), it will result in a win for Andrew. Also, where are the “bombshell” descriptors, cuz if this situation doesn’t cry out for a “bombshell” I don’t know what does — and nobody say an Oprah interview.
Your tax dollars at work, Britts!
That’s right!!! Poor guys didn’t know that they would be having to support a sexual predator that happens to be fully supported by his Mum, TQ as well!! Nothing like letting your subjects know that you support a child rapist!!
Lawyer her. Former federal clerk. Former AUSA. Biglaw refugee.
This article…woo chile. No. These lawyers are clowns.
First of all, attorneys can AND SHOULD make limited appearance for the purposes of contesting service of process. You can do this WITHOUT waiving your clients right to proper service. The fact that these people didn’t bother doing that shows that the attorney BB is the one who is “very good at garnering headlines but ultimately it comes down to the law. The Prince’s legal team has no [every] intention of validating this frivolous suit by [not] attending Monday’s hearing. They are [stupidly, and without any sound basis] confident they can get Virginia’s suit dismissed.’” Fixed that for ya.
Another lawyer here. Agree completely. David Boies (Virginia’s lawyer) on the other hand is as good as they come, as well as extremely aggressive, and Andrew should be very, very worried. My question all along has been whether Boies’s representation of Virginia is to fix his numerous PR problems from representing Harvey Weinstein or whether he thinks they have a real chance of winning (and collecting) big bucks from Andrew. Maybe both?
Boies is 80 years old and clearly trying to secure his legacy. There was a mass exodus from Boies, Schiller & Flexner when Boies took on Weinstein and he doesn’t want Weinstein to be the client that defines him and his firm.
Didn’t Boies also represent Theranos? He absolutely needs to distance himself from that mess as well. I wish Virginia all the strength and perseverance that exists. Andrew is absolutely hanging on his mummy’s apron strings and hiding behind her to not be arrested. I also want to think that this shooting/hunting party was probably coordinated by someone in charge because nobody would show up for this pedo unless they were being forced to. ick. I want him to pay with everything he thinks he has and more.
It’s like being forced to go to the birthday party of the neighbour kid nobody likes.
Another lawyer here, another biglaw refugee and former litigator. And honestly, thirdsies, janey. Can’t imagine why they would not enter a special appearance to contest service. You can’t leave papers in the US with just anybody, but hey, maybe where he is located presently, local law permits it. Either way, his team look clown-adjacent at a minimum.
I also agree with the general thrust of the coverage on this whole item. Why wouldn’t you try to have a confidential settlement worked out on this? Why would you duck service for weeks and then increase coverage, only to not contest service? WTF? Just agree to service to minimize headlines at the least. Either way, I’m sure it will be a total clown show. Also, “dream team”??? Most reputable firms wouldn’t touch this with a fifty foot pole. My former one certainly wouldn’t.
Lol. Took a look at the docket and no one has noticed an appearance for Andrew. Hearing is at 4PM EST.
Also took a look at the certificate of service — it states that service was “consistent with Section 6 of Civil Procedure Rules of Supreme Court Judicature of England & Wales,” and the COS is notarized by an individual certified by “Her Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs.”
Just wanted to say thanks to all you lawyers for providing such excellent information — that mutherfukker Andrew needs to pay and pay and pay.
David Boise is one of the most well-known litigators in the United States. I don’t think a dream team will do it. He better hope that this goes to trial before QEII dies because I don’t see Charles paying for this.
Blair Berk is also an extremely well-known litigator. I’m not sure Andrew can afford her without HM’s help, so, yeah, he better wrap this up fast.
I think Andrew has millions stashed, he just doesn’t want to spend it or let anyone know he has it.
Oh how I wish this would result in jail time for this maggot!!
Yeah. Okay. My money is on David Boies.
Again, the British monarchy shows its contempt for the rest of the world.
Who’s paying for this “dream team” of lawyers in the UK and the US? I wonder…..
Those quotes about the hunting party….yikes. I mean I agree with them, but it tells me the gloves are coming off when it comes to Andrew and the press.
It’s interesting, isn’t it? Page Six was stronger, with naming the Crown Prince of Bahrain and his human rights violations, and accusing Andrew of disrespecting TQ by making it seem that she’s covering for him.
I wonder who’s footing the bills, too. We know the RF likes to charge for their “services” – maybe the shooting party was a kind of Royal GoFundMe.
It’s gross that people have parties to slaughter animals anyway, even grosser that there are still people left who would go have such a party with a this rapist.
I agree. Appalling entitlement.
@Chaine I totally agree! Disgusting!
I am also curious as to which creatures they were shooting at in this shooting party, as the aristocrats of the UK were quite put out that grouse shooting season at Balmoral and many other estates were cancelled due to the climate-related low population of birds this year.
He might as well hire the same dream team as OJ Simpson had. Dershowitz might give him a reduced rate as another Epstein frequent flyer. Johnnie Cochran and Robert Kardashian can appear via Ouija board.
LOL. Can we please retire the term “dream team” already? It beyond clichéd at this point.
Let’s be honest, these days, big firms and big wigs aren’t trying to represent this client. I mean holy shit, he has a picture of himself with his arm around her. Who would take this case on and take the reputational hit? Most white shoe firms would boot the partner first, and that can and has happened on multiple occasions with this type of high profile bullshit. There are enough rainmakers to make up the difference.
Doesn’t it show spectacular arrogance and contempt for the court system if you don’t even have a legal representative attending the hearing? I can’t see the judge liking that.
Plus, if you’re going to take the angle that this is a “frivolous” case, shouldn’t you attend court to at least put your arguments across??
I suspect there’s a bit of hot air blowing about here about all these hot shot US lawyers he’s engaged. I’ll believe it when I see it. But I think all this talk is designed to intimidate. Luckily, Virginia’s lawyer does not seem like the type to be intimidated.
Take the Fail’s reporting with a grain of salt. We’ll see what is reported out of the hearing later today.
Honestly, having been there, for Judges it is very much paint by numbers. If your service of process (i.e. personal delivery of a summons) isn’t in compliance with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, they will either give you more time to get it in place or dismiss. They cannot and do not get into the merits of any case until after it is “served”and the Defendant has pleaded in response (be it an answer or motion to dismiss). I’m sure, however, internally the judge is thinking the same as all of us, which is to say “just accept service and move this along, unless you have something to hide”. But they can’t say that outwardly without risk of an appeal, so on one does.
Huh, so there will be a Harvey Weinstein lawyer on each side.
In the meantime, H&M all peaceful under a tree. La,la,la…
This piece of absolute shit. I hope Virginia and her lawyer wipe the floors with his smug ass face. Virginia is so strong and such a badass for pursuing this. We are all rooting for you, girl!!!
Absolutely! Virginia is a bad ass and we are absolutely rooting for her!
Hope the plaintiff prevails. BUT, Andrew also needs to be indicted criminally.
Is this “dream team” like the “gold-standard advisors” of Will and Kate?
Dream team. I grew up near Chicago in the ‘90s and dream team meant Jordan and Pippen and the Bulls. Dream team indeed.
So The Daily Beast came across with an article that Andrew has hired Armie Hammer’s lawyer Andrew Brettler and said he appeared on Andrew’s behalf in court today.
Also The Sunday Post had an article by Jennie Bond which was really good
She called him arrogant and used to getting his own way and he is also hiding behind “his Mother’s tartan skirt at Balmoral”
It is a super snarky and shady article
His mother probably foots the bill for the dream team.
Andrew is scared shitless. He is trying to live like everything is normal to hide his fear. He will not return to any royal duties. It’s not like before where cases like R Kelly got a pass. Times have slowly changed and now people like R Kelly are not getting away as easily.
It’s terrible how QE is not letting her son face the consequences that is why he never grew. In some sense Andrew is a Peter Pan because he was cuddled he never really grew.