David Copperfield accused of sexual misconduct – Guardian

American magician David Copperfield is facing allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior filed by 16 women, The Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday.

According to the outlet, which cited an investigation by its US branch, the accusations span several decades from the late 1980s up to 2014. More than half of the alleged victims were teenagers at the time, with some as young as 15.

The 67-year-old magician is also accused of having drugged three women before having sexual relations with them. The victims say they felt unable to consent in such circumstances.

A number of the women who have filed complaints against the illusionist said they felt inspired speak about their alleged experiences only after the #MeToo movement garnered public attention.

Copperfield himself has vehemently denied the accusations, while his lawyers have insisted that the complaints are “not only completely false but also entirely implausible.” 

In a written response to The Guardian, Copperfield’s legal team noted that this isn’t the first time such “false claims” have been made against the magician, adding that their client had “never acted inappropriately with anyone, let alone anyone underage.”

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The lawyers pointed out that Copperfield has always been a champion of the #MeToo movement and insisted that a “truthful” depiction of the artist would describe his “kindness, shyness and treatment of men and women with respect.”

In a statement to the BBC, Copperfield’s lawyers also said the allegations described in The Guardian were “the exact opposite of who David is,” and noted that many of these accusations had been made before and are “as false now as they were then.”

“David requested the ‘evidence’ upon which these false allegations claim to rely, and this has not been provided,” the magician’s legal team said, adding that US law enforcement had also been unable to verify any of the accusations against him.

The last time allegations of inappropriate behavior were filed against Copperfield in 2018, he denied blame and wrote on social media that “I’ve lived with years of news reports about me being accused of fabricated, heinous acts, with few telling the story of the accuser getting arrested, and my innocence.”