A sexual assault lawsuit against Prince Andrew by his longtime accuser has been formally dismissed after the disgraced British royal paid a financial settlement, court documents showed on Tuesday.
Lawyers for Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was 17, formally asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit on Tuesday.
In February, the parties had settled out of court for an undisclosed sum, sparing the second son of Queen Elizabeth II a trial.
Both parties filed a “stipulation of dismissal” of the case in federal court in New York, which was signed by Judge Lewis Kaplan on Tuesday.
Last month's agreement had stated that the parties would file a motion for dismissal “upon Ms Giuffre's receipt of the settlement,” suggesting the settlement has been paid.
Ms Giuffre, 38, has said she had sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17 — a minor under US law — after meeting him through disgraced American financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein took his own life in a New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting his own trial for sex crimes.
The prince, now 61, has not been criminally charged and has denied the allegations.
The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that Prince Andrew was to pay $13.1 million to Ms Giuffre and $2.6 million to a charity for victims of sex trafficking.
In January, Prince Andrew was stripped of his honorary military titles and his remaining charitable roles.
He withdrew from public life as a royal in 2019 after a widely ridiculed BBC interview in which he sought to absolve himself of Ms Giuffre's accusation.
Prince Andrew through the years - in pictures
MATCH INFO
Maratha Arabians 107-8 (10 ovs)
Lyth 21, Lynn 20, McClenaghan 20 no
Qalandars 60-4 (10 ovs)
Malan 32 no, McClenaghan 2-9
Maratha Arabians win by 47 runs
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Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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