15 May 2024 , 16:30
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Celebrity magician David Copperfield is accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women.
A recent investigation, including interviews with over 100 people and examination of police records, brought forth sexual misconduct allegations from sixteen women against David.
The celebrity magician faced previous allegations of sexual misconduct which were previously denied by his lawyers, who have said there have been “numerous false claims” about him. However, the Guardian ’s investigation claims to have learned of sixteen total alleged cases, with over half of the women allegedly being underage at the time. Some were reportedly as young as 15. Additional allegations include three accusations that David drugged them.
The magician denies the allegations (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)These allegations span across his career from the late 1980s to as recently as 2014. Brittney Lewis was the first to publicly come forward in 2018 as she described an alleged assault from 1988. In her accusation, reported in The Wrap, she claimed that he drugged and assaulted her when she was 17 years old.
Another woman told The Guardian about an alleged similar experience. They said: "I … would never just say this to somebody if I didn’t truly, honest to God believe that I was drugged at that time."
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Some alleged that they were drugged by David (Getty Images)Following the investigation’s publication, representatives for David told The Mirror: “Everyone that knows David Copperfield will tell you that these recent allegations from one newspaper are the exact opposite of who David is. In fact, David has a record of risking his career to help protect women from powerful predators. Most of these historic accusations have been made before, and all of them 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.
“By contrast, whenever US law enforcement has looked into such matters, they have been investigated thoroughly and it has been found that there is simply no case to answer. The Guardian’s characterisation is not who David is, and he continues to support anyone who has experienced any form of abuse or discrimination. The movement must succeed, but false accusations must stop for it to flourish. David will be considering the position with his legal team and will take such steps as may be appropriate over these false and scurrilous allegations.”