周二，安德鲁·阿尔伯特·克里斯琴的律师几乎出现在纽约州的一名联邦法官面前，辩称针对该案的诉讼王子由杰弗里·爱泼斯坦的一名据称受害者提出的指控应该被驳回。

弗吉尼亚·朱佛里声称她从17岁开始就受到了爱泼斯坦和安德鲁·阿尔伯特·克里斯琴的性侵犯，她于2021年8月对王子提起了民事诉讼。

安德鲁·阿尔伯特·克里斯琴一直否认她的指控，并表示他从未与朱佛里发生过性关系，并试图以几个理由驳回诉讼。

安德鲁·阿尔伯特·克里斯琴的律师周二辩称，朱佛里和爱泼斯坦之间2009年新解封的和解协议阻止她起诉约克公爵，因为王室是早期诉讼中的“潜在被告”。

“潜在被告”这个词，王子的律师认为，是指没有被指定为被告，但可能是被告的人。

律师安德鲁·布雷特勒说:“必须赋予这句话意义。“安德鲁·阿尔伯特·克里斯琴可能在2009年的佛罗里达州诉讼中被起诉。他不是，因此是潜在的被告。”

朱佛里的律师大卫·博伊斯说，安德鲁·阿尔伯特·克里斯琴不可能成为2009年诉讼的潜在被告，因为他不受佛罗里达州法院的管辖，也不是被指控为性目的贩运朱佛里的人。

“没有指控安德鲁·阿尔伯特·克里斯琴是运送者，”博伊斯说。

通过盖蒂图像，文件池/法新社

约克公爵安德鲁王子出席了在万圣皇家教堂举行的主日礼拜

周二主持法庭的法官刘易斯·卡普兰(Lewis Kaplan)指出，由于爱泼斯坦在2019年8月因在佛罗里达州和纽约州对未成年人进行性交易的联邦指控等待审判时自杀身亡，2009年和解协议中“潜在”一词的使用无法准确定义。

卡普兰说，布雷特勒对合同的意义有一个合理的看法，而朱佛里的一方有不同的、合理的看法。

卡普兰说:“但我们没有爱泼斯坦先生在这里说出他的观点。“使用‘潜力’这个词就是使用一个你我都找不到任何意义的词。”

布雷特勒还辩称，朱佛里在诉状中没有提供足够的细节，这使得安德鲁·阿尔伯特·克里斯琴很难确切知道他被指控在何时何地做了什么。

“Giuffre女士现在需要把自己锁在一个故事里。在她进行发现并了解到芯片可能落在哪里之后，不会在未来的某个时候，”布雷特勒说。

卡普兰断然拒绝了这个论点。

卡普兰说:“恕我直言，布雷特勒先生，那不是一只会在这里捕猎的狗。“我明白你的意思。这不符合法律。”

卡普兰还阅读了朱佛里控诉的部分，她指控安德鲁·阿尔伯特·克里斯琴在她17岁时开始与她性交。

截至周二，还没有立即做出决定。法官说他将很快做出裁决，但没有将自己限定在一个时间范围内。

在双方等待决定的时候，这个案子不会暂停。他们必须继续取证和发现。双方表示打算各录取8至12份证词。

Prince Andrew's attorneys appear in front of New York federal judge

Attorneys for Prince Andrew appeared virtually in front of a federal judge in New York on Tuesday, arguing that a lawsuit against theprincemade by an alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein should be dismissed.

Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was sexually assaulted by both Epstein and Prince Andrew starting when she was 17, filed a civil lawsuit against the prince in August 2021.

Prince Andrew has consistently denied her allegations and said he never had sex with Giuffre and has sought to dismiss the lawsuit on several grounds.

Prince Andrew's attorney argued on Tuesday that a newly unsealed 2009 settlement agreement between Giuffre and Epstein prevents her from suing the Duke of York because the royal was a "potential defendant" in the earlier lawsuit.

The term "potential defendant," the prince's attorney argued, is someone who is not named as a defendant but could have been.

"That phrase has to be given meaning," the attorney, Andrew Brettler, said. "Prince Andrew could have been sued in the 2009 Florida action. He was not and therefore was a potential defendant."

Giuffre's attorney, David Boies, said Prince Andrew could not have been a potential defendant in the 2009 lawsuit because he was not subject to the jurisdiction of the Florida courts and was not the person alleged to have trafficked Giuffre for sex.

"There's no allegation Prince Andrew was the person transporting," Boies said.

Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over the court Tuesday, noted that since Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while he awaited trial on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York, the use of the term "potential" in the 2009 settlement could not be exactly defined.

Kaplan said Brettler had one reasonable view of the contract's meaning and Giuffre's side had a different, reasonable view.

"But we don't have Mr. Epstein here to say what his view was," Kaplan said. "The use of the word 'potential' is the use of a word to which neither you nor I can find any meaning at all."

Brettler also argued Giuffre pleaded insufficient details in her complaint which made it difficult for Prince Andrew to know exactly what he is alleged to have done, when and where.

"Ms. Giuffre needs to lock herself into a story now. Not sometime in the future after she conducts discovery and learns where the chips may fall," Brettler said.

Kaplan flatly rejected the argument.

"With all due respect Mr. Brettler, that's not a dog that's going to hunt here," Kaplan said. "I understand your point. It just isn't the law."

Kaplan also read the part of Giuffre's complaint in which she alleged Prince Andrew had sexual intercourse with her beginning when she was 17.

As of Tuesday, there was no immediate decision. The judge said he would rule soon, but did not lock himself into a time frame.

There will be no pause in the case while the sides await the decision. They must move forward with depositions and discovery. The parties expressed their intentions to each take between 8 and 12 depositions.