FACT CHECK: Image Claims Donald Trump Currently Faces A Court Case For Allegedly Sexually Assaulting A 13-Year-Old

Brad Sylvester | Fact Check Editor

A post shared on Facebook claims President Donald Trump was due in court Oct. 14 for a case alleging he raped a 13-year-old aspiring model.

Verdict: False

While an anonymous woman did file charges against Trump claiming that he raped her when she was 13, the suit was withdrawn in 2016. There is no evidence Trump had an Oct. 14 court date for a case involving sexual assault against a minor.

Fact Check:

The post features an old picture that appears to show Trump talking on the phone while his daughter Ivanka kisses him on the cheek. The caption reads, “Just a reminder Donald Trump’s upcoming case for raping a 13 year old aspiring model is scheduled for October 14th.”

Trump’s publicly available schedule for Oct. 14 shows no such appearance in court, however. Had Trump had a court case to that effect scheduled earlier this month, it would have been picked up by the media, yet no news reporting could be found. (RELATED: Did Trump Tell The FBI To Ignore The Allegation Of Sexual Assault Against Kavanaugh?)

The post appears to reference a 2016 civil lawsuit brought forward by an anonymous woman who alleged Trump sexually assaulted her when she was a 13-year-old aspiring model in 1994. That case was dismissed or withdrawn in two separate courts on procedural grounds, according to Politico. The suit, which also named the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as a defendant, was refiled in September 2016 before being voluntarily withdrawn by the accuser in November of that year, per The Guardian.

“It is categorically untrue. It is completely frivolous. It is baseless. It is irresponsible,” Trump attorney Alan Garten told Politico in September 2016. “I won’t even discuss the merits because it gives it credibility that it doesn’t deserve.”

A spokesperson for the Trump campaign told the Daily Caller News Foundation via email that there is no truth to the post’s claim.

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Brad Sylvester

Fact Check Editor
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