The extremely controversial owner of the porn studio GirlsDoPorn, Michael Pratt, was absent from the trial against him in San Diego, USA, despite having been summoned. Rumors had it that Pratt had disappeared and was not facing charges of fraud and abuse by more than 20 actresses. Now one of Pratt’s partners admits: The founder of the website, which became famous because of the stalking of the performers, had left the USA for his home country New Zealand.
Since August this year, Michael Pratt has had to answer to a court in San Diego for numerous allegations of fraud and other offenses. It seemed more and more likely that Pratt would face high punitive damages. This was also due to the fact that he fired up and promoted the stalking behavior of many fans of his website. Many of his actresses suffered severe damage to their reputation and were harassed and tormented for years.
After he had not appeared at the last court date, his lawyer announced that Pratt would continue to appear before the court and that he had not gone into hiding. Apparently this was a lie. Pratt’s long-time friend and business partner, Matthew Wolfe, now declared in court that the porn producer had left for New Zealand.
GirlsDoPorn still going on as usual
Meanwhile, the website’s illicit business continues. On Craigslist last week there were ads looking for models for the studio. The current contracts still contain the objectionable omissions, which means actresses are still being kept out of the loop that the film footage is not only published on DVD but also on the Internet and on freely accessible, free tube pages.
According to Wolfe, Pratt has returned to New Zealand because of health problems caused by the negative press surrounding his company. Pratt first went on holiday in South America and then flew back to New Zealand. But Wolfe himself claims that he is still in touch with Pratt. The two continue to exchange information via the encrypted messenger system Signal.
Is all money gone?
Wolfe also provided detailed information on the business model and affiliate program of GirlsDoPorn. He confirmed that the content showing performers suing the company are still distributed via the company’s websites and used for advertising purposes. Wolfe also admitted that he had transferred money from his consulting firm to an offshore holding company on Vanuatu.
That sounds like an extensive confession. To what extent the affected performers can now still assert their claims for damages and whether there are still any financial resources and assets of the studio to meet these is unclear. The trial continues.