The owner of a California porn website who is being sued for allegedly lying to women to get them to have sex on camera has reportedly skipped town — despite being under subpoena to testify in the case.
The lawyer for the 22 women suing Michael Pratt, owner of the website Girls Do Porn, told NBC San Diego that Pratt had left the country, breaking a court order to testify in the upcoming weeks.
“We have been informed that [Pratt] is no longer in the jurisdiction and is no longer available to testify, even though he is under court order to here in court,” attorney Ed Chapin said.
The lawyer representing Pratt and the website claimed he did not intentionally flee the country.
“It doesn’t have anything to do with the trial,” attorney Daniel Kaplan told NBC San Diego. “The trial date was uncertain for a number of months and the case has been going on for three years. People still have their lives to lead, including the defendants.”
The women suing the company claim Pratt and two co-conspirators falsely told them video footage of them having sex would only be sold on DVD to rich clients in New Zealand and Australia and not posted on the internet.
The attorney representing the website has pointed to release forms the women signed, stating they were willingly being recorded and being paid thousands of dollars, to undermine their claim.
The lawyer representing the women said their names were publicized on the website, leading to a number of them attempting suicide, losing their jobs and being disowned by their families.