Prince Andrew Tells Judge He Wants Jury Trial

Britain's Prince Andrew issued fresh denials in a court filing Wednesday in which he "demands a trial by jury" in the sexual assault lawsuit facing him in New York. The document answers accusations in Virginia Giuffre's suit, CNN reports. The denials respond to accusations that Andrew conspired with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in sex trafficking, and that he was a frequent guest of Epstein's and a close friend of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted last month. Giuffre maintains she was forced into sex with the British royal 20 years ago, when she was 17, by Epstein and Maxwell, per the Guardian.

Andrew did admit to knowing Epstein and staying at his home in New York in 2010. And Epstein and Maxwell were guests at the prince's 40th birthday party in 2000, the filing says. In response to some of Giuffre's allegations about Epstein and Maxwell, the filing says Andrew doesn't have "sufficient information to admit or deny" the accusations. Andrew's legal team argued for a dismissal, per the BBC, saying that Giuffre is a permanent resident of Australia and thus has no grounds for bringing the suit, and that she waited too long to sue.

The filing accuses Giuffre of acting unethically in pressing her accusations, saying that precludes her from seeking legal recourse. In a statement Wednesday, Giuffre's lawyers said Andrew "continues his approach of denying any knowledge or information concerning the claims against him, and purporting to blame the victim of the abuse for somehow bringing it on herself." (Andrew has been been punished by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.)