5:2016-cv-00797
RAGEPATH Overview of Johnson v Trump
This case was one of the most sensational and troubling allegations raised against Donald Trump during the 2016 election campaign. We believe that the case is not credible and was crafted by an anonymous opponent of Trump to damage his presidential campaign.
The allegations raised by "Katie Johnson" are chilling and evocatively portrayed. They describe a scene of multiple underage girls held in sexual captivity. Johnson requested that the court grant her leave to sue "in forma pauperis," which means that she would represent herself and be excused from paying traditional court filing fees. In an attached declaration, Johnson (who would have been 35) claimed that she had never earned enough income to warrant filing income taxes. Attempts to communicate with Johnson by the court were returned as undeliverable. It may also be noteworthy that Katie Johnson's purported address is in the town of Twentynine Palms, which is located near the former Trump 29 Casino. Given the allegations that Trump behaved unethically in his management of the casino and defrauded the local tribe, it is plausible that persons from that area could still feel animosity towards him and have a desire for vengeance.
Case Summary
United States Central District of California
Johnson v Trump
Date Filed: 4/26/16
Date Terminated: 5/2/16
Nature of Suit: Civil Rights: Other (Federal Question/Civil Rights Act)
Plaintiff: Katie Johnson
Defendant: Donald Trump
“Katie Johnson alleges that defendants Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey E. Epstein violated her civil rights through sexual and physical abuse and conspired to deprive her of her civil rights. Plaintiff seeks $100,000,000 in compensatory damages [under two statues.] [...] Plaintiff has failed to state a a claim for relief under either statute. First, [...] is a criminal statue that provides for the prosecution of persons who cross a State line with the intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor. [...] Nothing in the statute provides for a private right of action for civil damages such as Plaintiff seeks here. [...] Plaintiff has not alleged any race-based or class-based animus against her, and consequently her [civil rights] allegations fail to state a claim upon which relief may be granted.”
Noteworthy Details
During the campaign, a press conference was announced then abruptly canceled, at which Katie Johnson's true identity would have purportedly been revealed. "A woman who has filed federal lawsuits accusing Donald Trump of raping her two decades ago, when she was 13, abruptly canceled a news conference Wednesday at which she was to detail her extraordinary claims against the GOP presidential nominee. [...] Attorney and legal commentator Lisa Bloom announced earlier Wednesday that the woman would appear at Bloom's Woodland Hills law office at 3 p.m. local time and apparently give up the "Jane Doe" pseudonym used in her recent suits. However, at the appointed hour, Bloom said the news conference was off. "Jane Doe has received numerous threats today," Bloom told the assembled journalists and TV cameras. "She has decided she is too afraid to show her face. ... She is in terrible fear."" (Politico, November 2, 2016)
The plaintiff in this case purportedly filed another lawsuit in New York, represented by an attorney, but withdrew the suit after canceling her press conference. "A woman who accused Donald Trump of raping her two decades ago when she was a 13-year-old aspiring teen model has again dropped a federal lawsuit over the alleged assaults. [...] The accuser's lead attorney, Thomas Meagher of New Jersey, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. He filed a one-page notice dismissing the case Friday evening in federal court in Manhattan. No explanation was given for the action." (Politico, November 4, 2016)
