EXCLUSIVE: Trump lawyer calls 'rape' lawsuit a HOAX and says there's no proof accuser exists as he claims her address and phone number are fakes and 'clearly there's some kind of collusion going on'
- Donald Trump's lawyer says there's no indication that a lawsuit plaintiff who claimed Trump raped her when she was 13 is a real person
- 'Based on our investigation, [there is] no evidence that the person who has made these allegations actually exists,' attorney Alan Garten told DailyMail.com
- Garten cites 'false' address and phone number and says whoever wrote the lawsuit 'clearly has some legal background'
- The billionaire had already 'categorically' denied the legal claims, made by a 'Katie Johnson' in a bombshell $100 million lawsuit
- She claimed she was raped by the property tycoon in 1994 at billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein 'sex parties'
- The suit alleges that the Republican presidential hopeful and Epstein treated her as a 'sex slave' over a four-month period
By David Martosko, US Political Editor and
Ryan Parry West Coast Correspondent and
Hannah Parry For
Dailymail.com
Published: 20:23 EST, 28 April 2016 | Updated: 10:18 EST, 29 April 2016
Donald Trump's attorney told DailyMail.com on Friday that a lawsuit claiming Trump raped a 13-year-old girl at billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's notorious 'sex parties' appears to be a hoax.
Trump had already 'categorically' denied the claims but attorney Alan Garten's statement signals that the Trump campaign is eager to swat down the allegation before it gains any more traction.
'The allegations are not only categorically false, but disgusting at the highest level and clearly framed to solicit media attention or, more likely, are politically motivated,' Garten told DailyMail.com in a statement. 'To be clear, there is absolutely no merit to these claims and, based on our investigation, no evidence that the person who has made these allegations actually exists.'
In a followup telephone interview, Garten cited a litany of specific indications that the lawsuit is a hoax perpetrated by 'someone with some level of legal background.'
The address listed on the lawsuit exists, he said, but 'there is no indication or record that that person' named as the lawsuit plaintiff 'ever resided there. So we believe it is a false address.'
He also said the phone number listed on the lawsuit papers rings to voicemail and publicly available records tie it to another person.
'There is no record that the phone number is tied to the person who has made these allegations,' he said.
'We believe that this person does not exist.'
The suit details claims made by a woman named as 'Katie Johnson,' with a home address named as what turned out to be an empty, foreclosed property at 'Twentynine Palms' in California.
Neighbors told reporters that the home has been empty since the death of its owner, David Stacey, last October. The property went into default soon after and on April 11 – just 15 days before the lawsuit was filed – the bank officially foreclosed.
Garten rattled off a list of indications in the lawsuit that suggest it was not filed by an indigent woman acting on her own behalf, but that it was drafted by someone who 'clearly has some legal background.'
The suit details claims made by a woman named as 'Katie Johnson,' who says her net worth is $278, leading her to request a waiver of the filing fees.
'This is not a "pro se" filing,' Garten told DailyMail.com, referring to the legal term for someone who petitions a court without an attorney.
'This was written on legal paper with margins and line numbers. It's properly captioned. It has no typos. It has footers. It cites statutes.'
'This has all the hallmarks of being drafted by someone with some level of legal background,' he said, 'and 'this was filed to not leave fingerprints.'
'I mean, there's a section titled "material witnesses!" This is not someone with $278 to her name.'
He suggested that the lawsuit filer pleaded poverty 'because unless you pay in cash, the filing fee traces back to someone.'
'It seems like there's a lot more to this story than some random person. Clearly there's some kind of collusion going on here,' Garten insisted.
In California as in most states, anyone can file a lawsuit with a court – whether or not they are a lawyer or a named plaintiff. No identification is required.
But most suits are filed by lawyers who put their names on the legal papers, and the ethics requirements of their law licenses generally prevent the kind of shenanigans Garten suggested.
Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, told DailyMail.com on Thursday night that the allegations were 'disgusting at the highest level' after he was accused of raping and sexually assaulting a minor in a bombshell $100 million lawsuit.
The suit claims Trump took Johnson's virginity and alleges that the Republican presidential hopeful and financier Epstein treated her as a 'sex slave' during an 'horrific' four-month period in 1994.
