Great post. But outside of videotape how does Giuffre prove that Andrew forcibly raped her?
Especially in light of fellow Epstein victim 14 year old Carolyn Andriano's statement that not only did Giuffre recruit her, Giuffre also boasted of "getting to have sex" with Prince Andrew.
Other than he said she said...there is nothing else unless I am missing something.
For what it's worth...I do believe Andrew had sex with the young woman and does indeed remember doing so.
What I don't believe at all is that she had to be coerced in any way.
One does not have to prove that they said "no" or fought off the rape, or provide video tape of their rape to bring a lawsuit. Nor is video evidence required for trial. It's much easier with video or documented injuries. But it's not required to have such evidence.
A jury is perfectly allowed to weigh the evidence, even if the evidence is only testimonial. Ms. Guiffre will have the burden of proof, as this is a civil case.
I personally, given that I have sadly worked with victims of sex crimes, don't assume that Ms. Andriano's testimony is going to decide the case. Ms. Guiffre's lawyers will likely call experts to explain that victims of sex crimes often deny that they were raped. It will make her burden of proof more difficult, but not impossible.
Also, I think this is lost sometimes: Ms. Guiffre has not yet had her day in court. She has been under no obligation to share her evidence with the public, and the discovery process has only begun on both sides. If I were her lawyer, I would
not be sharing their best evidence with the world at this point- why on Earth would they be tipping off Andrew's lawyers??. I don't know if she has enough evidence, or can get enough. Time will tell I guess.
She will have to prove that Andrew knew, or reasonably should have known, that she was being trafficked. I can only guess what her lawyer's strategy is, but I think they will cast a wide net as to what exactly Andrew witnessed during his visits with Epstein. Staff and other visitors.
(And the fact that Ms. Guiffre may have participated in recruitment doesn't mean she's not a victim. One can be both victim and perpetrator. In cases of human trafficking, it's very normal to see both. That doesn't mean rapists are excused from their actions.)