SEATTLE — A woman who accused David Copperfield of raping her on his private island in the Bahamas has withdrawn her lawsuit against the magician.
Accuser Lacey Carroll suddenly dropped the civil suit after a federal judge ordered her to be questioned under oath, Copperfield's attorneys, Angelo Calfo and Patty Eakes, said in a statement Tuesday.
"Carroll's lawsuit was nothing but a pathetic attempt to extort Mr. Copperfield for money with malicious and false allegations," his attorneys said. "There was no settlement. Mr. Copperfield would not and did not pay Carroll a dime to drop her lawsuit."
Carroll, 23, filed the lawsuit last July in U.S. District Court in Seattle, just ahead of the deadline for a two-year statute of limitations. In her suit, the fashion model claimed Copperfield sexually assaulted and threatened her while she was a guest on his private island. Carroll said she met Copperfield during a January 2007 performance in Kennewick, in which he called her on stage.
In January, federal prosecutors announced they were dropping their investigation without filing charges.
Carroll, who was the first runner-up in last year's Miss Washington USA pageant, was charged late last year with fabricating sexual assault claims against another man.
"Copperfield, his family and friends are pleased, but this saga is not over," the magician's attorneys said. "Carroll still has criminal charges against her in Bellevue, Washington for making a false rape claim against another man. Her lies were caught on videotape by the police in that case. Mr. Copperfield too can prove that she lied in this case—only this time to the FBI—and Mr. Copperfield is cooperating with government to have Carroll prosecuted for having wasted taxpayer dollars and law enforcement resources in a two and one-half year investigation of her false allegations."
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