Illusionist David Copperfield refutes accusations of sexual assault and misconduct in The Guardian newspaper.
In an email sent to CNN, a representative for Copperfield declared, "The majority of these historical accusations have been made before, and all of them are as untrue now as they were then."
This was a response to an article published by The Guardian, in which 16 women claimed that Copperfield had either sexually harassed or assaulted them. Several of the accusers featured in the article stated they were underage when the alleged incidents occurred.
One woman stated she and her friend were drugged before Copperfield had sex with them without their consent.
The Guardian's article contained stories from some women who had already shared their allegations publicly, as well as others who were disclosing their experiences with the publication for the first time.
The article explained, "The allegations date back to the late 1980s and continue until 2014. More than half of these women claim they were under 18 at the time of the alleged incidents." Out of those who claimed to be underage, two women said they were 15 at the time of the alleged encounters.
The spokesperson for Copperfield added, "Everyone who knows David Copperfield knows that these recent allegations from this newspaper are completely opposite to who David is. In fact, David has a track record of putting his career on the line to protect women from powerful predators." The representative also stated that Copperfield had requested evidence to back up these accusations but had not received it.
On Thursday, The Guardian followed up with a second article that featured allegations from five more women, all of whom encountered Copperfield during a modeling contest. One of the former contestants alleged that Copperfield drugged her and sexually assaulted her "in the months after the competition," at which time she was 17 years old.
CNN could not independently verify these accounts, some of which were from anonymous women. It's currently unclear if there are any ongoing investigations or criminal charges against Copperfield related to these allegations.
"The Guardian's portrayal is not who David is," the representative for Copperfield insisted, labeling the accusations as "false and malicious."
Matt Mittenthal, head of communications for The Guardian US, did not respond to CNN's inquiry about Copperfield's representative's statement when asked for comment.
The representative for Copperfield has not responded to CNN's request for comment regarding The Guardian's report that was published on Thursday.
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Despite the ongoing accusations of sexual misconduct, David Copperfield remains dedicated to his entertainment career. His representative emphasized that the allegations against Copperfield are "completely opposite to who David is" and denied any wrongdoing.
Source: edition.cnn.com
