Legal Expert Reveals Why Prince Andrew Might Not Even Testify In His Own Trial - Exclusive
After Ghislaine Maxwell was charged for her role in the Jeffrey Epstein abuse scandal, all eyes have been on Prince Andrew. While Maxwell has been found guilty of sex trafficking, her friend Andrew faces similar allegations.
Andrew is heading to civil court against his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, after an American court ruled in favor of the trial moving forward — the royal has tried to get the case dismissed from the jump, but has failed significantly. Still, he is attempting to fight the charges from going to court. According to the Daily Mail, Andrew has filed official papers denying the accusations from Giuffre — included in the writing was a request from the prince for a trial by jury.
There are still many unknowns about the upcoming case between Andrew and Giuffre, but legal experts are weighing in with their opinions about what could happen when he sees his time in court.
Will Prince Andrew take the stand? A legal expert weighs in
Legal expert Christoper Melcher, a partner at California's Walzer Melcher LLP, recently sat down with The List to offer his opinions on Prince Andrew's upcoming trial.
There isn't much information regarding the trial that has been made public yet, so we asked Melcher when he thought Andrew's day in court would take place. Melcher weighed in, saying, "The trial might happen this year, depending on the time it takes for each side to obtain the information they need to prepare for trial. It will probably be in the fall or early part of next year."
Everyone is wondering what the next steps for the case will look like. Melcher shared, "The case is in the discovery phases, where each party can be compelled to answer questions and produce documents under oath. Andrew could still face criminal charges so he will have to decide whether to exercise his right to remain silent under the Fifth Amendment. That right applies to non-citizens who face potential prosecution in the U.S."
Melcher continued, "If Andrew refuses to answer questions in the civil case out of concern that it may be used against him in a criminal prosecution, the jury in the civil case will decide the case based on the evidence presented. Andrew did not make a credible appearance in the media interview he gave, so refusing to testify in the civil case could be his best strategy."
Time will tell what happens to Andrew when his trial goes to court.