Women withdraws sexual assault case against David Copperfield
Women withdraws sexual assault case against David Copperfield
Also In The News
|
By Matt Hallam. |  |
Wednesday, 21, Apr 2010 09:36
By Lewis Bazley.
A beauty pageant runner-up has withdrawn a sexual assault lawsuit against David Copperfield, having claimed to have been attacked on the magician's private island in the Bahamas.
Twenty-three-year-old Lacey Carroll, who finished as first runner-up last year in Miss Washington USA, had claimed to have been sexually assaulted by Copperfield in the summer of 2007, having met the magician during one of his performances in January of that year.
Copperfield and his representatives had repeatedly maintained the allegations were false and suggested Ms Carroll was attempting to extort money from Copperfield, 52, and she has now withdrawn her legal action.
In a statement, she said the magician's lawyers had subjected her "to intense scrutiny and constant surveillance, while her family, friends and co-workers have been besieged with subpoenas and demands for personal information".
In response, the stage magician's representative labelled Ms Carroll's story as "nothing but a pathetic attempt to extort Mr Copperfield for money with malicious and false allegations".
"There was no settlement. Mr Copperfield would not and did not pay Carroll a dime to drop her lawsuit," added Angelo Calfo.
Carroll was questioned by Washington State police last year after allegations she had attempted to extort $2,000 (£1,250) from a businessman for sex.