The Price of Principle by Alan Dershowitz

Author:Alan Dershowitz [Dershowitz, Alan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781510773295
Publisher: Hot Books
Published: 2022-09-15T05:00:00+00:00

I. The Case Against Prince Andrew

Prince Andrew is among the men Virginia Giuffre was accused of having had sex with her when she was over the age of consent and claims she was paid $15,000.

The accusation has ruined his life, his work, and his reputation. He has been stripped of his titles and responsibilities based on this accusation.

But what if his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, simply made up the story? What if she, in fact, only posed for a photograph with Prince Andrew, and then used that “evidence” to falsely claim that she had sex with him? What if she framed Prince Andrew in order to obtain another mega-settlement?

What if Prince Andrew is actually innocent?

I am not asking the readers of this article to believe Prince Andrew in his denials of ever having had sex with the accuser. None of us knows what happened or didn’t happen after that photograph was taken. I am only asking the reader to assume, simply for purposes of analysis, the possibility that Prince Andrew might be innocent.

As soon as Giuffre accused him, he was presumed guilty. If he had been charged by an official government agency, say a prosecutor or grand jury, he would be presumed innocent as a matter of law, even though the imprimatur of the government was behind the accusation.

Here, no governmental agency or unbiased official has ever accused Prince Andrew of a crime. His only accuser is an individual who stood to benefit financially from the accusation. Yet the media and public opinion seem to presume Prince Andrew is guilty.

The New York Times reports that there “are legal charges hanging over him.” This suggests that some unbiased institution has leveled charges. But anyone can be sued by anyone—hence the expression, “The Pope can be sued for paternity.”

A lawsuit for money brought by an individual should never give rise to any kind of presumption of guilt. As Judge Jose A. Cabranes of the US Court of Appeals has cautioned the media and the public:

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