AKRON, OH — While there may be truth in Oscar Wilde’s observation that it is “better to be talked about than not talked about,” Joe Francis and his ever-controversial Girls Gone Wild crew might want to consider themselves an exception, since so much of what’s been written about them has been bad.The latest in a series of damaging and potentially damaging accusations and lawsuits involving the company is an accusation of rape being made by a 17-year-old Ohio girl. According to the Akron teen, she was drinking alcohol and stripping at the Mango’s Nightclub while the Girls Gone Wild video team captured the action.
What happened afterwards, however, is still uncertain.
The teen claims that she was approached by a member of the Girls Gone Wild crew and, in an intoxicated state, agreed to go to the company’s motor coach, where she insists that she was raped.
Local news reports state that an unnamed attorney for Francis’ company, which recently ran afoul of 2257 regulations to the tune of $2.1 million, insists that Girls Gone Wild has a strict policy against filming underage girls and that if such a thing happened, it was due to the decisions made by an independent contractor hired for the event. He further states that the company is cooperating with authorities to resolve the matter, but that local bars should be enforcing the legal drinking age, not porn companies.
NewsChannel15 claims that Mango’s is known for its outreach to younger crowds.
Akron Police Lt. Rick Edwards, noting the age of the accuser, asked “Why was she inside the bar dancing and drinking? That’s clearly a violation of the law.” Although her willingness to both drink while under age and expose herself to the cameras has been admitted, Edwards this to be a difficult case to resolve due to a lack of evidence. “Because you’re trying to contact a company that’s not local to find out who’s employed by you while you’re in Akron, because most companies like Girls Gone Wild have different crews that go to different parts of the country, so there’s a lot of detail work involved in this case,” he explained. Nonetheless, “She was intoxicated to the point where she couldn’t have made a decision of what she was doing or what was going on. So that’s rape, against her will.”
The minor reported the alleged rape by a Girls Gone Wild photographer on September 18th, four days after it was supposed to have happened. Edwards says that although the police have a description of the man, they currently have no name.
In spite of the accusation, the Girls Gone Wild motor coach continues to tour Ohio this week, with stops scheduled for an Elyrian bar today and Columbus on Sunday.
