Virginia Giuffre’s ex-husband might add his name to the list of those fighting over her estate, lawyers said in an Australian court.
Ms Giuffre was one of paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent accusers and also alleged she was abused by the then-Prince Andrew, now Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, while a minor.
Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing, but settled a lawsuit with Ms Giuffre, reportedly for about £10m, in 2022.
Robert Giuffre, an Australian martial arts instructor, was married to Virginia from 2002 until shortly before her death by suicide in April, at the age of 41.
He could now join as a party seeking access to the estate, alongside the former couple’s sons Noah and Christian, their lawyer Jon Patty told the Supreme Court of Western Australia on Friday.
Court filings show that the two sons applied to manage the estate, but were opposed by Virginia’s former lawyer Karrie Louden and former carer Cheryl Myers.
Mr Giuffre could also join as guardian to their young daughter, Mr Patty said in a short case management hearing.
Mr Patty added that an independent party could be appointed to represent the daughter to prevent a conflict of interest.
The court did not allow publication of the daughter’s name because she is a child.
No representative for Mr Giuffre was present in court and he could not immediately be reached.
Ms Giuffre gained global attention with her allegations that she was trafficked to Andrew.
He was stripped of his titles this year after the release of Ms Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, which detailed new allegations against the 65-year-old.
Ms Giuffre was involved in at least four lawsuits when she died, according to court filings. But she did not have a valid will, so the court appointed an administrator to oversee her estate, effectively reopening the cases.
At the hearing, registrar Danielle Davies heard the list of people vying for access to Ms Giuffre’s estate might grow.
A $10m defamation claim filed in 2021 by a person associated with Epstein is among the pending lawsuits.
Epstein was jailed in 2008 for child sex offences and died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex abuse charges.
Australian court filings show there are also contests over the rights to Ms Giuffre’s memoir and inheritance claims.
Ms Davies, the registrar, gave the parties until Monday to submit more documents outlining their claims and said a date for the next case management hearing would be set in 2026.
