That legal boilerplate can really come back to bite you. I’m Amy E. Feldman.
In 2009, Jeffrey Epstein paid Virginia Giuffre a half million dollars to dismiss a lawsuit she brought against him claiming he and his powerful friends sexually abused her. In exchange for the money, Giuffre agreed to drop all claims against Epstein, his agents, attorneys, assigns, employees and—here’s the important part—any other person who could have been included as a potential defendant.
Now, Prince Andrew is arguing that the language in that agreement that Giuffre signed precludes her from suing Prince Andrew because she’s already released all claims. As arguments go, it’s kind of a double-edged sword for Andrew: if he didn’t engage in any untoward behavior, how could he have been released back then as a potential defendant? It remains to be seen how the court will rule, but here’s a good rule of thumb if you’re signing any agreement: make sure you understand what all the boring legal boilerplate includes before you sign it.
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