![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/prince-andrew-could-have-been-vindicated-by-accusers-decision-to-drop-separate-lawsuit/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/TELEMMGLPICT000298387366_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqD3d2dmOlWYuQkR76XZjLQKOylOV7i1cNNz18XOj47vE.jpeg&description=Mark Stephens, a media lawyer at the London-based law firm Howard Kennedy, said it had come too late for the Duke. 'I think the problem is that once you've handed over a few million, there's no way back from that,' he said. 'This is a major concession by Virginia Giuffre, which does go to her credibility. Had anyone chosen to take the same route and provoke a defamation action like Dershowitz did, it would have given them a clear path to vindication. 'Of course, the problem is that no one else did." He added: 'Dershowitz stands as a sole individual who appears to have vindicated his reputation against these allegations. The other men have gone down like bowling pins.' Ms Giuffre accused the Duke of raping and abusing her three times in 2001, when she was 17. The Duke, who denied any wrongdoing, was adamant that he wanted to take the civil case to trial and clear his name. But Buckingham Palace urged him to settle as the lurid claims dominated the news agenda and threatened to overshadow Platinum Jubilee celebrations.){kind=link}
Virginia Giuffre has admitted she ‘may have made a mistake’ in accusing Alan Dershowitz of sexually abusing her as a teenager
The Duke of York accuser’s climbdown over her accusation against a high profile lawyer could have vindicated the Duke, lawyers believe.
However, it came too late to have any bearing on his own sexual abuse case, which he settled with a multi-million out of court settlement in February.
Virginia Giuffre this week admitted she “may have made a mistake” in accusing Alan Dershowitz of sexually abusing her as a teenager.
Eight years of claims and counterclaims between the pair were settled when she agreed to withdraw her defamation suit against the Harvard law emeritus.