A federal judge in New York has ordered that depositions in the civil lawsuit filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre against Prince Andrew must be completed by July 14 of next year, effectively signaling he is ready to move the case to trial, court records show. 

Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who serves the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, has ruled that depositions and discovery are due by July 14, 2022, and pretrial order by July 28, 2022, among other deadlines handed down on Monday. Giuffre claims Prince Andrew sexually assaulted her when she was 17 years old.

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PRINCE ANDREW ACKNOWLEDGES US SEX ASSAULT LAWSUIT FILED BY ACCUSER VIRGINIA GIUFFRE

In the August lawsuit, Giuffre accused the Duke of intentional infliction of emotional distress and battery. She claims in the suit that she was forced, under Epstein's orders, to have sex with Andrew three times.

The Duke has denied the accusations. His U.S. lawyer has called Giuffre's lawsuit "baseless," among other things.  

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Giuffre is a longtime accuser of Epstein, a now-deceased convicted sex offender.