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What specific allegations has Katie Johnson made against Donald Trump and when were they filed?
Executive summary
Katie Johnson — a pseudonym for a “Jane Doe” plaintiff — filed civil complaints in 2016 alleging she was lured to Jeffrey Epstein’s New York residence as a teenager and was sexually assaulted and raped there by Epstein and Donald Trump in 1994; the complaints were filed in spring and fall 2016 and were dismissed or voluntarily withdrawn the same year (see summaries in PBS, El País and Wikipedia) [1] [2] [3].
1. The core allegation: sex trafficking and rape at Epstein’s Manhattan home
The plaintiff using the name “Katie Johnson” (also described as “Jane Doe” in reporting) alleged she was recruited with a promise of a modeling career and that, in 1994 when she was a teenager, she was taken to parties at Jeffrey Epstein’s Manhattan residence where she was sexually assaulted and repeatedly raped by both Epstein and Donald Trump, according to accounts of the 2016 filings summarized in news coverage [1] [2] [3].
2. When the suits were filed and their procedural trajectory
Reporting indicates an initial civil complaint was filed in California in April 2016, then versions of the claim were refiled or publicly reported in June and October 2016, and the matter was dropped or dismissed by November 2016; sources describe the case as dismissed the month after its April filing or voluntarily withdrawn in early November 2016 [3] [1] [4].
3. How outlets summarize the timeline and filings
PBS’s recap places an initial filing in June 2016 with refiling in October 2016 and a drop in November 2016, while Wikipedia and El País state an April 2016 California filing alleging a 1994 assault and note dismissal the following month; different accounts emphasize slightly different filing dates and procedural labels [1] [3] [2].
4. Why the case did not reach a courtroom, according to reporting
Contemporaneous and later reports note the lawsuit was dismissed or voluntarily withdrawn in 2016 and that no criminal charges were filed; some accounts cite the plaintiff’s disappearance from public view and mention threats as a reason she later gave for stepping back, but available sources describe procedural dismissals without a trial [4] [5]. Available sources do not provide a court record showing a trial on the merits.
5. Disagreements, limitations and open questions in coverage
Sources disagree or vary on precise filing dates and whether the suit was dismissed by the court or voluntarily withdrawn by counsel; some accounts treat the plaintiff as anonymous “Jane Doe” at times and as “Katie Johnson” at others, and reporting notes that the case has resurfaced intermittently with renewed attention when Epstein-related documents are publicized [1] [3] [2]. Available sources do not settle all factual details about evidentiary support, witness testimony, or the exact legal basis for the dismissal beyond saying the case did not go to trial [6].
6. Context: why the allegation reverberates beyond the 2016 filings
News outlets place the Johnson claim within the larger Epstein-Trump story: because Epstein’s network and files have repeatedly been the subject of unsealing and scrutiny, claims tied to Epstein—including Johnson’s—resurface and become politically charged; some commentators see the 2016 lawsuit as a serious but unproven allegation, while others treat it skeptically because it never produced a courtroom determination [6] [2].
7. What the sources emphasize about reliability and public discussion
Reporting from PBS and El País treats the Johnson allegation as part of the record of accusations against Trump and Epstein but notes it remained an untried civil claim; other pieces and commentary highlight that the plaintiff used a pseudonym and that details about her identity and the reasons the case was dropped remain contested or underreported [1] [2] [7].
8. Bottom line for readers seeking specifics
Specifics consistently reported across the available sources: [8] the allegations claim sexual assault and rape at Epstein’s Manhattan residence in 1994 when the plaintiff was a minor, [9] the complaint[10] were filed in 2016 (April/June/October are cited in different accounts), and [11] the case was dismissed or withdrawn by November 2016 and never litigated to verdict [3] [1] [4]. If you need precise docket entries or sealed documents, available sources here do not provide direct court filings or unambiguous filing dates and say the matter did not reach trial [6].
Limitations: This summary relies on media accounts and secondary summaries in the provided material; available sources do not include the original filed complaint text or complete court docket entries in this packet, so some procedural details (exact filing dates and docket numbers) are not verifiable from the materials supplied [3] [1] [2].