- A woman who says she was victimized by the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein claimed to have met "a royal family member" who was "visiting as a close personal friend" at Epstein's home, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.
- The lawsuit does not explicitly name what member of a royal family met the plaintiff or what specific royal family the person was from. The royal family member was solely named as "Prince" in the suit.
- One member of a royal family who is alleged to have ties with Epstein is Prince Andrew, who had a nearly 20-year-long friendship with the registered sex offender. The Duke of York recently said he was "appalled" by Epstein's alleged crimes, according to a statement from the Buckingham Palace.
- The plaintiff, who is referred to as Lisa Doe in the court documents, says she met Epstein in 2002 when she was 17 years old and wanted to pursue a career as a professional dancer in a major company.
- Epstein promised to use his money and influence to "propel her career to the next level" in return for her engaging in "commercial sex acts" with him, the lawsuit alleges.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
A "royal family member" was mentioned in a lawsuit filed Monday by a woman who says she was victimized by the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The lawsuit, filed by a woman who is referred to as Lisa Doe, was one of three new allegations against Epstein, who died by suicide on August 10.
In the court documents, Epstein introduced the plaintiff to an unidentified member of a royal family, who was described as "a close personal friend" of Epstein. The alleged royal was solely named in the lawsuit as "Prince." The lawsuit states that the woman was "shocked that someone as powerful as a royal family member would be engaging in small talk with her."
The lawsuit does not explicitly define which member of a royal family met with the woman — or even what royal family the "Prince" was from. Lawyers for the plaintiff could not be immediately reached for comment by Business Insider.
A member of the British royal family reportedly has ties with Epstein. Prince Andrew and Epstein had been close friends for nearly 20 years, according to a 2011 Vanity Fair article, and Prince Andrew told the publication that he was "going to be loyal" to Epstein in spite of his 2008 conviction. Epstein pleaded guilty to two counts of soliciting prostitution in 2008; he served a 13 month sentence in a county jail in Florida and was required to register as a sex offender.
The 2011 statement is a stark contrast to Prince Andrew's more recent reaction to allegations against Epstein. A Sunday statement from Buckingham Palace said he was he was appalled by Epstein's alleged crimes.
In July of this year, Epstein was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and one count of sex trafficking. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
"His Royal Highness deplores the exploitation of any human being and the suggestion he would condone, participate in or encourage any such behavior is abhorrent," the statement read.
Another prince with alleged connections to Epstein is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. In a 2018 interview with The New York Times' James Stewart, Epstein boasted, while pointing to a full-length photograph of the Saudi prince, that they had numerous conversations together, and that bin Salman visited him often. It's unclear what if any relationship the two had. (Stewart, for his part, writes in his piece that "much of what he said was vague or speculative and couldn't be proved or disproved.")
According to the court documents, the woman met Epstein in 2002 when she was 17 years old, and she wanted to pursue a career as a professional dancer at a major company. The lawsuit claims that Epstein promised to use his money and influence to "propel her career to the next level," which included providing her with "top-of-the-line dancing attire" like new ballet pointe shoes and using his contacts to further her career.
It was after these promises were made that Epstein allegedly required the plaintiff to engage in "various sexually-charged stretching activities," in return for his role in attaining her professional goals.
Read the full lawsuit here:
Join the conversation about this story »
https://ift.tt/2Zeous1
Business and Marketing support on the best price; Hit the link now----> http://bit.ly/2EadkNl