A woman who filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump for allegedly raping her as a child, pulled out of a press conference where she was expected to reveal her identity moments before it began.

The accuser, known by the pseudonym Jane Doe, was expected to reveal her identity before media outlets in her lawyer’s Los Angeles office on Wednesday.

BREAKING: woman who sued Donald Trump for child rape breaks her silence today. https://t.co/ecbzZ6jxSU pic.twitter.com/kdCRsG7wIm

— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) November 2, 2016

Her attorney, Lisa Bloom, cancelled the event due to fears surrounding her client’s safety–citing death threats.

“Jane Doe has received numerous threats today as have all the Trump accusers that I have represented. She has decided she is too afraid to show her face,” said Bloom. “She has been here all day, ready to do it, but unfortunately she is in terrible fear. We’re going to have to reschedule. I apologize to all of you who came. I have nothing further.”

The federal lawsuit alleged Trump raped Doe in 1994 when she was 13 years old, and sexually assaulted her on other occasions while attending sex parties at the New York City mansion of billionaire and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The woman making the claims is referred to as “Jane Doe” in the most recent court complaints filed in New York, but as “Katie Johnson” in a similar suit filed in California earlier this year. Doe filed a lawsuit in April, without legal representation, which was dismissed for technical filing errors. Trump responded to the allegations and claimed the lawsuit was an attempt to bring him down.

“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,” Trump told RadarOnline. “There is absolutely no merit to these allegations. Period.”

There have, of course, been questions about the validity of the lawsuits from some. According to Jon Swaine of The Guardian, the lawsuits seem to be orchestrated by Norm Lubow, a former producer on the “The Jerry Springer Show” who is “an eccentric anti-Trump campaigner” with a record of making outlandish claims about celebrities.

A civil lawsuit is scheduled for an initial status conference in a New York district court on December 16.

Bryan White

Bryan is an editorial intern at Law Street Media from Stratford, NJ. He is a sophomore at American University, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism. When he is not reading up on the news, you can find him curled up with an iced chai and a good book. Contact Bryan at BWhite@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Donald Trump’s Child Rape Accuser Cancels Public Appearance appeared first on Law Street.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is a member of British royalty and currently fifth in the line of succession to the throne. He’s the third child of Queen Elizabeth II, and has long been the source of frustration for the royals. His actions regularly provide fodder for the tabloids, but the most recent scandal involving the Prince may go further than just making the royal family look bad. He was just named in a lawsuit filed in Florida that alleges he had sex with an underage girl.

Prince Andrew really has been a familiar face in the tabloids. His relationship with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson has faced plenty of scandal–especially when her constant debt problems are taken into account. At one point he was accused of accepting a gift from a Libyan gun smuggler. He took a $5,000 helicopter ride for 50 miles. He’s been tied to shady people multiple times, including the corrupt president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

But one particularly dark mark on Prince Andrew’s biography has been his friendship with American businessman Jeffrey Epstein, who pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from an underage girl in 2008. The FBI allegedly linked him to about 40 other young women, many of whom were minors. In 2011, Epstein’s friendship with the Prince came under scrutiny after the media took pictures of the men together. There were many rumors that Prince Andrew was involved in inappropriate behavior at Epstein’s house. A 2011 Vanity Fair article stated:

According to a sworn deposition by Juan Alessi, a former employee at Epstein’s Palm Beach estate, Andrew attended naked pool parties and was treated to massages by a harem of adolescent girls.

There were also rumors that Prince Andrew had sexual contact with an underage girl who had been groomed as a prostitute by Epstein. The girl in question was 17 years old at the time and now lives in Australia. She claims to have been sexually exploited by Epstein beginning at the age of 15.

While there is a lot still unclear about Prince Andrew’s involvement with Epstein’s victims, what we do know is that there is now a civil suit against the United States government with regard to the way that federal prosecutors handled Epstein’s case. The suit argues that when the Florida prosecutors worked out a plea deal with Epstein, they violated victims’ rights laws by not talking to Epstein’s victims about the deal. Those victims’ lawyers claim that Epstein got an easy deal from the prosecution–pleading guilty to just one charge–because of his wealth and connections.

It is within the parameters of this lawsuit that Prince Andrew was named, after two of Epstein’s other victims joined the two who originally filed the suit. It’s important to note that no legal action is being taken against Prince Andrew, rather this suit just names him as part of the plaintiffs’ collection of evidence that Epstein basically organized a sex trafficking ring of underage women for his wealthy friends. He has denied the allegations.

Prince Andrew wasn’t the only famous man mentioned in these court documents. Alan Dershowitz, a well known, former Harvard Law professor and criminal defense attorney, was also named. He has also completely denied the allegations, saying:

I’m planning to file disbarment charges against the two lawyers who signed this petition without even checking the manifests of airplanes or travel itineraries, et cetera. I’m also challenging the young woman and the lawyers to level those charges against me outside of the courtroom, so that I can sue them for defamation…Finally, I’m challenging the woman to file criminal charges against me because the filing of false criminal charges is a crime.

This case is still ongoing. It will be interesting to see if Dershowitz follows through on his legal threats, or if Prince Andrew ends up playing a larger part. For right now though, it’s only the U.S. government that is facing legal action for its handling of the case.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Prince Andrew Accused of Sex With Minor in American Lawsuit appeared first on Law Street.