Virginia Giuffre’s estate dispute grows — ex-husband may join legal fight

WEB DESK: The former husband of Virginia Giuffre, the woman whose allegations against Jeffrey Epstein and Britain’s Prince Andrew drew global attention, may soon join the growing number of parties contesting her estate in Australia, a court was told on Friday.

Lawyers informed the Supreme Court of Western Australia that Robert Giuffre, an Australian martial arts trainer who married Virginia in 2002 and separated from her shortly before her death earlier this year, is considering becoming an additional claimant. Giuffre died in April at age 41 in what authorities ruled a suicide.

Her two sons, Noah and Christian, have already applied to take charge of the estate, though their bid is being challenged by Virginia’s former lawyer, Karrie Louden, and her one-time carer, Cheryl Myers, according to court documents.

During a brief procedural hearing, lawyer Jon Patty said Robert might also seek to act as guardian for the former couple’s young daughter. To avoid potential conflicts, the court may appoint an independent representative for her. The child’s identity remains protected under Australian law.

Robert Giuffre did not attend the hearing, and attempts to reach him were unsuccessful.

Virginia Giuffre became internationally known after asserting she had been trafficked as a teenager to Prince Andrew. The case ended in 2022 with a settlement and charitable contribution, and Andrew, now using the name Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, lost his titles following the publication of Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, which contained further allegations.

At the time of her death, Giuffre had multiple unresolved civil cases. With no valid will, the court appointed an external administrator, effectively reopening those matters.

Registrar Danielle Davies noted the number of individuals asserting claims may continue to rise. Among the outstanding legal actions is a AU$10 million defamation suit filed in 2021 by a person linked to Epstein. Disputes over Giuffre’s memoir rights and inheritance issues are also before the court.

Davies asked all parties to file updated submissions by Monday, with another case management date expected to be set in the new year.