A New York court has set a hearing date for Prince Andrew's motion to dismiss the sexual assault lawsuit brought against him by Virginia Roberts, the accuser of Jeffrey Epstein. In the morning of January 4, next year, the court will consider "the defendant's move to dismiss the lawsuit," according to Judge Lewis Kaplan.

Prince Andrew has been under increasing pressure since August, when Virginia Giuffre, filed a case in Manhattan federal court accusing the 61-year-old of sexual abuse while she was a teenager over 20 years ago. 

Duke of York's sexual assault battle

Giuffre claims that late infamous financier Jeffrey Epstein hired her for sex with his rich and renowned associates, including The Duke of York. According to her, the prince molested her in Epstein's home in New York and on his own island in the US Virgin Islands. 

In the London home of socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, Prince Andrew reportedly sexually abused Giuffre. Epstein's accomplice has pleaded not guilty to charges that she helped recruit and cultivate adolescent girls for sexual assault by Epstein. Prince Andrew's trial will begin on November 29, Daily Mail reported.

Virginia Roberts is also expected to urge the Duke of York to testify under oath. David Boies, Giuffre's lawyer, said he expected to examine eight to twelve people, while the Duke's lawyers wanted to question a similar number. According to Judge Kaplan, if the prince's application is refused, a civil trial would be held between September and December of next year. 

Neither session appears to have addressed the Duke's concerns about Giuffre's allegations, including a 2009 court deal she struck with Epstein that might provide Prince Andrew with legal protection. The court did not respond to any of the Duke's claims, including a 2015 article in the Daily News that quoted Giuffre's associates as saying she was a money-hungry sex kitten, rather than a sex slave. 

Read Also: Queen Elizabeth Speaks Out About His Successors, Prince Charles and Prince William; Prince Harry Feels Snubbed 

Prince Andrew's "wall of silence" falls down amid Virginia Giuffrelawsuit

The hearing took place two weeks before Ghislaine Maxwell's trial, in which she is accused of being Epstein's madam and a former close friend of Andrew's, is set to begin. Maxwell, 59, is accused of obtaining and trafficking minors to Epstein with the knowledge that they would be molested. She refutes each and every charge.

After it was reported on Wednesday that Prince Andrew's court case will go to trial next autumn, threatening to overshadow the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, a royal commentator sympathized with the Queen for her "stressful year."

Per Express.co, the pending lawsuit is said to be a "serious concern" for Buckingham Palace because of its reputational damage, as well as the "continuous aggravation" the Royal Family is feeling as a result of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Queen's husband Prince Philip's death. 

Following public outcry, he resigned from his position as a senior royal, and a number of organizations and patronages terminated relations with him. After weeks of back-and-forth, his legal team has accepted the case and filed a move to dismiss the "baseless lawsuit" on the grounds that Giuffre had failed to offer enough specifics about her allegation.

Prince Andrew's attorneys contended in court documents filed last Friday that  Giuffre was attempting to "get another payday" at the prince's cost, and that his "sullied reputation" was "just the latest collateral damage of the Epstein controversy."

If Prince Andrew's "wall of silence" breaks at any point throughout the course of his lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre, he might face serious consequences.

Russell Myers, the royal editor of the Daily Mirror, stated in an interview with True Royalty's Royal Beat, "The difficulty he has is being non-committal in his defense by having this wall of quiet and now going so strongly on the attack," The News reported.

Related Article: Prince Andrew's Legal Team Exposes Virginia Giuffre's Past in Blistering Response to Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

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