PRINCE Andrew has reportedly dodged another sex assault case after grope accuser Johanna Sjoberg failed to meet a legal deadline.
It comes as the disgraced royal is set to be named this week in newly unsealed court documents relating to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Ms Sjoberg, 42, had until a month ago to file her case against Andrew - but did not do so in time, the Mirror reports.
She claims that in March 2001, when she was 21, Andrew groped her breast at Epstein’s New York mansion while playing with a Spitting Image puppet of himself.
Sources said Andrew is "mightily relieved" to have avoided a second civil case in New York - and wants to rebuild his image.
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His first legal battle cost him a reported £12million in an out-of-court settlement to Virginia Giuffre - who accused Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell of directing her to have sex with Andrew and other men.
Despite the royal's reported relief, Andrew's decade-long friendship with Epstein looks certain to face scrutiny once again as more court papers are set to made public.
Andrew - along with ex-US President Bill Clinton - are on a list of 170 names to be unsealed in New York in relation to a 2015 defamation case brought by Ms Giuffre against Epstein's conspirator and former lover Maxwell.
Dozens of other famous Epstein associates are bracing themselves for the release of the list - including billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates and former Israeli PM Ehud Barak.
There is no suggestion that any of those named are accused of any wrongdoing.
Of the dozens of documents being released, 67 concern Ms Sjoberg and relate to the defamation case brought by Ms Giuffre.
Ms Giuffre's lawyer Sigrid McCawley calls it "disturbing testimony corroborating what lies at the core of this case — Maxwell was involved in facilitating the sexual abuse of young girls with Jeffrey Epstein".
In December, New York judge Loretta Preska ordered the hundreds of files to be unsealed.
The order was signed on December 18, meaning they will be made public any time from January 1 onwards unless anyone appeals.
Judge Preska ruled that there was no legal justification for continuing to conceal the names of more than 150 "John and Jane Does" mentioned in court filings relating to Epstein.
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The new files are expected to include emails, legal documents, depositions relating to Epstein's high-profile associates, victims, friends, recruiters and more.
The 30-page summary of Ms Sjoberg's evidence from the 2015 case will be unsealed alongside claims about a hidden Maxwell email account — which could reveal details of her conversations with Andrew.
In an earlier deposition, Ms Sjoberg said of the alleged 2001 incident: "I just remember someone suggesting a photo and they told us to get on the couch.
"And so Virginia and Andrew sat on the couch and they put the puppet on her lap.
"And so I sat on Andrew’s lap, I believe of my own volition, and they took the puppet’s hands and put it on Virginia’s breast and so Andrew put his on mine."
It was all done in "a joking manner" and "everybody laughed", Ms Sjoberg, now 42 and a hairdresser in Florida, said at the time.
Material relating other women who accused Epstein of abuse is also expected to be made public.
The files are the eighth and probably final release from a defamation case filed against Maxwell by Ms Giuffre.
At least seven "John Does" described as "public figures" or as having some form of relationship with Epstein are expected to be named.
Many of those who were unnamed in the case have since spoken to the press about Epstein or testified publicly at Maxwell's criminal trial, meaning their identities can now be revealed.
And several of the "Does" mentioned in the documents are deceased.
Others expected to be identified include a "member of law enforcement", a "journalist who investigated Epstein," and a "medical provider" - none of whom are suggested to have been accused of any wrongdoing.
Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing and told the BBC that he had never met Ms Giuffre.
Epstein killed himself in 2019 awaiting trial.
Brit Maxwell, 62, is serving 20 years for sex trafficking.
