It reveals Virginia Giuffre was paid $500,000 by Epstein in 2009 to end a case against him
An agreement between Virginia Giuffre and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been made public ahead of a critical hearing on Tuesday, in a move which could have big ramifications for Prince Andrew.
An order by judges in the US decided that the 2009 settlement between Epstein and Giuffre should be released.
It shows that Epstein paid Giuffre $500,000 (£371,000) to end her claim against the sex offender, and that Giuffre agreed not to sue anyone connected to Jeffrey Epstein who could be described as a "potential defendant."
Prince Andrew's lawyers believe the settlement means that Giuffre cannot sue him because she agreed to end all legal action against anyone connected to the offender who could be described as a "potential defendant", the
BBC reports.
Giuffre accuses the Duke of York of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.
On Tuesday, a New York judge is due to hear arguments on whether to dismiss Giuffre's lawsuit against the duke.
Andrew Brettler, who represents Prince Andrew, had previously told a New York hearing the agreement "releases Prince Andrew and others from any purported liability arising from the claims Ms Giuffre asserted against Prince Andrew here".
Prince Andrew has always denied the allegations against him.
But Giuffre's lawyers say the agreement applies "at most" to people involved in underlying litigation in Florida, thereby excluding Andrew,
Sky News reports.
They argue the settlement is irrelevant in her case against the prince.
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In her 2009 claim against Epstein, lawyers for Giuffre said she was lured into a world of sexual abuse as a teenager.
Epstein paid her $500,000 to stop it in its tracks.
The settlement says that she discharges "potential defendants" from any US legal action, including damages claims dating "from the beginning of the world".
It reads: "It is further agreed that this Settlement Agreement represents a final resolution of a disputed claim and is intended to avoid litigation. This Settlement Agreement shall not be construed to be an admission of liability or fault by any party.
"The Parties further confirm and acknowledge that this Settlement Agreement is being entered into without any duress or undue influence, and that they have had a full and complete opportunity to discuss the terms of the Settlement Agreement with their own attorneys."
The exact meaning of this wording will be the subject of intense debate in the coming days.
In recent days, the duke and his lawyers have called for the lawsuit against him to be dropped on the grounds that Virginia Giuffre lives in Australia and not the US.
They argued that this meant the New York court may not have "jurisdiction" over the lawsuit.
However,
federal judge Lewis A Kaplan rejected this. Giuffre's legal team described this as a "another in a series of tired attempts by Prince Andrew to duck and dodge the legal merits" of the civil case."
