# Attorney for “Katie Johnson” Breaks Silence, Says He Has “No Doubt” About Her Claims

  
Interview link. [Katie Johnson interview 2/11/2016](https://youtu.be/t7oS6lcFE5c)

**What’s new:** For the first time in nearly a decade, attorney **Cheney Mason** has spoken on the record about the pseudonymous 2016 lawsuit filed as “Katie Johnson,” which alleged that Donald Trump raped her at age 13 at Jeffrey Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse in 1994. Mason tells reporter **Tara Palmeri** that he and his team vetted the accuser over several days, hired private investigators, and that there is “no doubt” in his mind she told the truth contained in the lawsuit. He also says he does not know why she withdrew her case on the eve of a planned press conference in 2016, and that he does not know where she is today.

**Key Mason takeaways, per Palmeri’s interview:**

* He and multiple colleagues interviewed “Katie Johnson” over several days before filing.
* He retained investigators to verify details.
* “There is no doubt in my mind she told the truth of everything that is in her lawsuit. Period.”
* He does not know why she withdrew or where she is now, and hopes she is alive.

**Context that matters:** The civil complaint was filed three times in 2016 under a pseudonym, then dropped the day before a scheduled press conference. Attorney **Lisa Bloom** previously told reporters the Jane Doe received threats. Trump has denied the allegations.

**What Michael Cohen told Palmeri:**  
In Palmeri’s segment, Trump’s former fixer **Michael Cohen** recounts that Trump told him to “handle it” and denied the allegation. Cohen says a private investigator checked the address listed for the Jane Doe and found a parking lot in the Bronx. Palmeri notes that Jane Does often do not use their real home addresses for safety, which is common in sensitive cases. Cohen says he contacted a lawyer on the matter, but he would not confirm whether it was connected to the “Katie Johnson” filing by name.

**Why this preface matters now:**  
Mainstream coverage often treats the 2016 filing as a footnote because it was withdrawn. Mason’s on-the-record statements add back two important facts for viewers to weigh before they watch the video: there was a formal vetting effort by counsel, and one of the attorneys who worked the case says he believes his client’s account as filed. The public still does not know why the suit was withdrawn, where the accuser is, or what pressure she faced at the time.

**What to watch for in the video:**

* Mason’s description of his team’s vetting and the PI work.
* Palmeri’s exchange with Cohen about Trump’s instructions to “handle it,” and the address detail that led to a parking lot.
* Palmeri’s broader reporting on intimidation tactics used around Epstein-related cases, and why survivors often file as Jane Does.

**Reminder on framing:**  
These are allegations contained in a civil complaint that was later withdrawn. Trump denies them. Mason’s comments are his professional opinion about his client and the case he helped file. Viewers should hear all sides, then decide what they find credible.