Actor John Travolta. AFP FILE PHOTO/ROBYN BECK
LOS ANGELES – A second lawsuit alleging that John Travolta sexually abused a male masseur has been withdrawn, a lawyer for the accuser said Thursday, as the actor’s attorney denied anyone had been paid off.
But the second accuser’s case has now been taken over by a well-known Hollywood lawyer, Gloria Allred, a week after two similar lawsuits were filed in Los Angeles, triggering angry denials by Travolta’s team.
“We are now representing John Doe #2. We believe that the lawsuit should be filed in another court and, therefore, the lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice,” said a statement from Allred’s office.
“We will be conferring with our client regarding what will happen next in this case,” added the high-profile Hollywood lawyer, known for taking on clients taking on celebrities.
The first alleged victim, identified only as John Doe, filed his lawsuit last week, seeking $2 million and alleging that Travolta grabbed his penis after receiving a massage at a Beverly Hills hotel in January.
Travolta’s heavyweight lawyer Martin Singer dismissed the claim as “a complete fiction and fabrication,” saying the Hollywood A-list actor was on the East Coast on the day in question, January 16.
A few days later the same lawyer, Okorie Okorocha, filed another lawsuit including John Doe #2, this time for an alleged assault in Atlanta, Georgia on January 28. But on Tuesday Okorocha said he had withdrawn the first lawsuit.
On Thursday Travolta’s lawyer denied that anyone had been paid to keep quiet.
“Not one penny has been paid nor do we have any intention to pay any money for these ridiculous and false claims,” Singer told the TMZ celebrity news website.
Travolta’s publicist said when the first lawsuit was filed last week that the star would countersue.
“Plaintiff’s attorney has filed this suit to try and get his 15 minutes of fame,” he said at the time, adding: “John intends to get this case thrown out and then he will sue the attorney and plaintiff for malicious prosecution.”