Prince Andrew's assault case: Judge rips apart Duke's lawyers

Prince Andrew seems to be in trouble as his hopes of getting a lawsuit by his rape accuser dismissed were on the ropes on Tuesday after a US judge ripped apart his legal team's case.

Judge Lewis Kaplan subjected Andrew’s lawyers to a bruising encounter during a crucial hearing in the Big Apple. 

The Duke of York's lawyer told the Judge that the Duke could be covered by a 2009 deal his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, made with Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10, 2019.

Judge Kaplan said that the wording could mean that both Epstein and Ms Giuffre had to jointly agree on whether or not the settlement could be used to release other potential defendants from facing court.

He said: "If someone got sued and Jeffrey Epstein said this person was within the release, and it was okay with Ms Giuffre, then [the deal] could be made available and Epstein could enforce it - but not otherwise."

Prince Andrew's lawyer, Andrew B Brettler, objected, - saying that US law made clear that a third party - such as his client - had rights to rely on the settlement to prevent them being unfairly taken to court.

Ms Giuffre is suing the prince claiming he sexually assaulted her - when she was 17 and a minor in some US states.

Judge Lewis Kaplan will decide "soon" whether a civil sex assault case against the Duke of York will be dismissed, following the latest hearing in New York.