Law.com article details new legal team filing a rape lawsuit against Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein

New Firepower in Shocking Suit Against Trump | Law.com http://www.law.com/sites/almstaff/2016/10/10/new-firepower-in-shocking-suit-against-tr... Page 1 of 3 10/11/2016 NOT FOR REPRINT Click to Print or Select 'Print' in your browser menu to print this document. Page printed from: /sites/almstaff/2016/10/10/new-firepower-in-shocking-suit-against-trump/ New Firepower in Shocking Suit Against Trump By Jenna Greene Published: Oct 10, 2016 Donald Trump, left, and J. Cheney Mason, right. Photos: lev radin/Shutterstock.com and Rick Runion/AP If you thought the presidential election couldn’t get any uglier, guess again. Because a suit against Donald Trump alleging that he raped a 13-year-old girl has new life. On Monday, Florida criminal defense lawyer J. Cheney Mason—best known for successfully defending Casey Anthony, who was charged with killing her 2-year-old daughter—filed court papers to represent “Jane Doe” in a suit against Trump and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. New Firepower in Shocking Suit Against Trump | Law.com http://www.law.com/sites/almstaff/2016/10/10/new-firepower-in-shocking-suit-against-tr... Page 2 of 3 10/11/2016 The rape suit isn’t exactly new. It was filed pro se by “Katie Johnson” in Los Angeles federal court in April, dismissed, refiled in the Southern District of New York, withdrawn and refiled on Sept. 30. But with the addition of Mason—a media-savvy lawyer not known for shying away from the spotlight—the stakes have changed. Suddenly, it’s a lot more serious. Which is not the same as legitimate, but the odds that the case will go away quietly are much slimmer given the firepower of her new counsel. Especially now, in the wake of a 2005 recording where Trump bragged about using his star power to kiss and grope women. The allegations in the suit are truly awful. Jane Doe says that when she was 13, she attended parties at Epstein’s New York City townhouse, enticed by promises of money and a modeling career. She allegedly had sexual encounters with Trump on four occasions there. The complaint states, “Defendant Trump tied plaintiff to a bed, exposed himself to plaintiff, and then proceeded to forcibly rape plaintiff. During the course of this savage sexual attack, plaintiff loudly pleaded with Defendant Trump to stop but with no effect. Defendant Trump responded to plaintiff’s pleas by violently striking plaintiff in the face with his open hand and screaming that he would do whatever he wanted.” Epstein allegedly raped her as well. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to soliciting an underage girl for prostitution, and has faced other suits by women who allege underage sexual assault. Trump’s lawyer Alan Garten, has unequivocally denied the allegations. In fact, the current complaint quotes his denial: “The allegations are not only categorically false, but disgusting at the highest level and clearly framed to solicit media attention or, perhaps, are simply politically motivated. There is absolutely no merit to these allegations. Period.” Doe’s suit claims that this statement is libelous. The only reason I can think of for including such a seemingly absurd claim (how can you libel someone who is anonymous?) is that it’s not time-barred. The rest of the complaint probably is. The alleged incidents took place in 1994—22 years ago. The complaint claims that Doe didn’t come forward because she was “unrelentingly threatened by each defendant that, were she ever to reveal any of the details of the sexual and physical abuse caused to her by defendants, plaintiff and her family would be physically harmed if not killed.” But Epstein in 2008 was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Why couldn’t she have come forward then? That’s not the only problem with the case. I wrote about the suit when it was first filed in LA with great skepticism—“an anonymous stink bomb,” I called it. In large part, I was dubious because the person filing the complaint, “Katie Johnson,” claimed her only past work experience was as a freelance model. And yet her pro se complaint was perfectly formatted, with proper margins and numbering; it correctly cited statutes, got the venue and jurisdiction correct and contained no typos. New Firepower in Shocking Suit Against Trump | Law.com http://www.law.com/sites/almstaff/2016/10/10/new-firepower-in-shocking-suit-against-tr... Page 3 of 3 10/11/2016 It looked more to me like the secret handiwork of a lawyer intent on smearing Trump. If so, however, there was no way to hold anyone accountable. The phone number provided was disconnected and Johnson’s address was an abandoned, foreclosed house. The allegations in the latest complaint by “Jane Doe” are the same, albeit with fewer lurid details and no explanation why she is no longer Katie Johnson. But the biggest difference is that she’s got lawyers now. In addition to Mason, “Jane Doe” is represented—improbably—by New Jersey patent litigator Thomas Meagher, the managing partner of nine-lawyer IP boutique Meagher Emanuel Laks Goldberg & Liao. Mason and Meagher did not respond to requests for comment. Campaign finance records show that Mason gave $2,000 to Hillary Clinton in February. Meagher during this election cycle has donated to Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush. He has never given money to a Democrat, according to Open Secrets data. So is the suit for real? Or is it an especially dirty way to attack Donald Trump? There’s a You Tube video of the plaintiff, with her faced blurred and her voice distorted, where she recounts the rape. Under these conditions, it’s impossible to tell if she’s credible or not. The complaint also includes an affidavit from “Joan Doe,” a school friend who said the plaintiff told her about the rapes in 1994, and from “Tiffany Doe,” who said she recruited the plaintiff to come to Epstein’s parties and witnessed the sexual assaults. So perhaps more evidence will emerge to bolster Jane Doe’s claims. On the other hand, if the complaint is determined to be without merit, Mason and Meagher could be sanctioned by the court for filing a frivolous lawsuit. Or Trump could respond like Alan Dershowitz, who was also accused of sexual misconduct with a minor in connection with Epstein. The Harvard Law School professor said lawyers for the accuser acted unethically and fabricated the allegations; in turn, they sued him for defamation. The case settled earlier this year on undisclosed terms. In the Trump case, U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams set an initial conference for Dec. 16. The real question: if Clinton wins, will this case simply disappear? Jenna Greene can be reached at jgreene@alm.com. On Twitter: @JgreeneJenna © Copyright 2016. ALM Media Properties, LLC. All rights reserved.