SAN DIEGO — A new week began in the civil case against GirlsDoPorn with a testimony by another former model, Jane Doe 7, detailing experiences with the company around October 2013.
The civil case, filed by 22 former models suing the company for fraud, has been overshadowed since early October by the unsealing of a parallel criminal case and FBI investigation against Michael Pratt, GirlsDoPorn owner, and his associates and employees for conspiracy and sex trafficking.
Pratt left the United States before the civil trial began and is presumed to be in his native New Zealand. Three of his associates are currently in federal custody, including main male talent Ruben Andre “Dre” Garcia, who has been accused of rape and sexual assault by some of the models.
For an in-depth look at the GirlsDoPorn case up until the filing of the criminal charges, click here.
The defense attempted to put on hold the civil trial until the criminal trial was decided, but the San Diego judge presiding over it refused their request.
According to Courthouse News, which has been covering the civil case regularly, Jane Doe 7 “wept Monday as a deposition was played in which she recounted sex so violent it made her bleed.”
Jane Doe 7 also testified “she initially agreed to do nude modeling that would be sold overseas but didn’t know she’d be filming a porn video until she flew to San Diego with her friend who was also scheduled to shoot nude photos.”
GirlsDoPorn’s attorney, Aaron Sadock, challenged Jane Doe 7 on the discrepancy between what she says she was told verbally and the contract she signed.
“I asked them over and over and over again. The agreements were no online, no family, no one was going to find out,” she told Sadock, adding that “when it came time to sign the contract, she was rushed and [Pratt’s business associate and videographer Matthew] Wolfe told her she could not review it.”
Sadock confronted the model with footage of herself during the shoot reading the model release statement and saying “she was having fun.” Jane Doe 7, in tears, denied having enjoyed her experience during the shoot, and alleged “Wolfe and Garcia put furniture in front of the door and she felt trapped and like she wasn’t free to leave.”
“If they already paid you $2,000 and you’re in a hotel room with two guys, I didn’t really feel I had a choice. I was being coached and I feel like I had to do it,” Jane Doe 7 added.
According to Courthouse News, the trial is expected to go through mid-November.
For the Courthouse News article by Bianca Bruno, “Woman Testifies of Violent Sex, Blocked Door in Porn Fraud Trial,” click here.
For XBIZ’s ongoing coverage of the GirlsDoPorn case, click here.