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Details of 2016 Katie Johnson lawsuit against Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein
Executive summary
In April 2016 an anonymous plaintiff using the name “Katie Johnson” filed a federal civil suit in California naming Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey E. Epstein and alleging she was raped and sexually assaulted at parties in 1994 when she was 13; that complaint was dismissed in May 2016 for failing to state viable federal claims and later versions were refiled or withdrawn [1] [2] [3]. Reporting and archival summaries show the filings and allegations circulated widely, were refiled under pseudonyms such as “Jane Doe,” and the matter was never litigated to a final factual adjudication in open court [1] [2] [4].
1. The filing and its basic claims
Court dockets and contemporaneous reporting show a complaint filed in federal court in Riverside, California, on or about April 26–27, 2016, by a plaintiff using the name Katie Johnson that named Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump as defendants and alleged sexual assault, including that the plaintiff was 13 years old in 1994 and was brought to parties in exchange for promises of modeling work [3] [1] [5]. News outlets and longer retrospectives describe the allegations as that she was “raped” and repeatedly sexually assaulted at Epstein’s Manhattan residence in 1994, when she was a minor [2] [4] [6].
2. Procedural outcome: dismissal and refilings
A federal judge dismissed the initial 2016 California complaint in May 2016 for failing to plead valid federal claims under the statutes cited by the plaintiff; CourtListener’s docket notes the case termination and reasons that it “fails to state a civil rights claim” under the federal statutes alleged [3]. Reporting summarizes that the initial suit was dismissed, that other versions or refilings appeared later in 2016 (including filings identifying the plaintiff as “Jane Doe”), and that at least one subsequent filing was dropped before going to trial [1] [2] [6].
3. Public reporting and circulation of the documents
Multiple outlets have tracked how the April 2016 documents circulated online and were periodically revived on social media; Newsweek and El País both note that documents tied to the Johnson/Jane Doe filings have been shared and sometimes mischaracterized in later “Epstein files” debates [1] [5]. Snopes traced origins and amplification of those court documents and flagged connections between early promoters and later circulation that affected public perception [7]. Archives such as CourtListener preserve the raw docket entries and filings [3].
4. Why the case did not produce a public courtroom finding
Available reporting shows the 2016 California case was dismissed for pleading deficiencies and procedural reasons rather than resolved on the merits; later filings were withdrawn or dropped and the allegation did not lead to a trial verdict against Trump or Epstein in open court as part of these actions [3] [2]. News and book summaries reiterate that the suits were dismissed or withdrawn and therefore did not produce a judicial finding of fact on the core allegations [6] [4].
5. Conflicting narratives and credibility disputes
Coverage reveals competing narratives: attorneys and sources connected to the filings at times defended the plaintiff’s credibility, while Trump’s legal team characterized the claims as “disgusting” and politically motivated [6]. Snopes reported investigative details about people who promoted the claims and noted those connections as “red flags” undermining the public credibility of the Johnson allegations, illustrating how advocacy, sourcing, and promotion influenced how the story was received [7].
6. How major summaries treat the episode
Major outlets and retrospectives — including PBS, New York Magazine, Wikipedia summaries, and El País — include the Johnson/Jane Doe filings in chronologies of allegations against Trump and in reporting on the Trump‑Epstein connection, typically noting the plaintiff’s age allegation (13 in 1994), the April 2016 filing, and the subsequent dismissal or withdrawal [2] [8] [4] [5]. These treatments present the filings as part of a larger pattern of allegations without presenting a court finding that validates them [2] [4].
7. Limits of the available reporting and what remains unknown
Available sources document filings, docket entries, media accounts, and the dismissal, but they do not provide a judicial finding on the truth of the substantive allegations nor a public, litigated verdict in these 2016 actions [3] [2]. Sources do not settle disputed background details such as why particular refilings were withdrawn in some instances, nor do they substitute for results of a criminal investigation or civil adjudication—“not found in current reporting” about definitive adjudication beyond dismissal [3] [2].
8. Practical takeaway for readers assessing claims now
Readers should distinguish between (a) the existence of court filings that make serious allegations (which the docket and news coverage confirm) and (b) proof of those allegations in court (which does not exist in these filings because they were dismissed or withdrawn) [3] [2]. Reporters and researchers who follow this matter point to both the paperwork that circulated and the procedural outcomes; both facts matter when evaluating contemporary reposting or political claims about the 2016 Johnson litigation [1] [7].