Trammell Crow, 72, with whom Sarah Ferguson supposedly had a friendship, is accused of financing the enterprise that resulted in the abuse of two women. In papers filed with the courts in California, the Texas tycoon, worth £6 billion, is accused of a number of claims.
According to reports, two women, Julia Hubbard, and Kayla Goedinghaus filed a complaint against Mr. Crow and his accomplices in November. They said that the ring was run by Richard Hubbard with the ‘important financial help and influence’ of Mr. Crow.
The Duchess of Cambridge, 63, and Mr. Crow are claimed to have connected through a similar interest in environmental concerns; their friendship was first reported at the start of the month. The lawsuit claims that Mr. Hubbard used ‘force, threats of force, fraud, or coercion to compel Hubbard and Goedinghaus to engage in commercial se*x acts’.
The case was brought under racketeering statutes, and it claims that the defendants ‘conspired together’ to commit offenses such as human trafficking. The women claim that Mr. Hubbard forced the alleged victims to take drugs including Xanax ‘in order to force them to participate in se*x acts’.
It is alleged that Mr. Crow was ‘key to the venture’s existence and long-running success’ as he invested in it. The lawsuit states: ‘Crow maintained what he called lingerie rooms in each property he owned in which he kept a variety of lingerie for female guests to wear, as well as what he called ‘stripper shoes’.’ There are also more statements in the legal papers concerning se*x parties and drugs involving Mr. Crow.
Mr. Crow’s lawyer, Ken Stone, stated in a motion to dismiss the lawsuit that the plaintiffs were either married or had relationships with the men they were accusing. The document states: ‘Plaintiffs’ attempt to leverage their long-running domestic quarrels into federal human trafficking and (racketeering) claims is a cynical attempt to extract financial gain from persons who were unfortunate enough to cross paths with them’.
The allegations include that Ms. Hubbard met Mr. Crow while she ‘worked at a Dallas gentleman’s club’. The motion to dismiss states: ‘Ms. Hubbard alleges that she became close friends with Mr. Crow, such that they exchanged text messages, he would ‘allow himself to be photographed with her’ and he invited her to attend charity events while she invited him to her modeling events.
According to Mr. Stone, there are ‘no allegations that Mr. Crow was ever romantically or se*xually involved with Ms. Hubbard’. The complaint fails to charge Mr. Crow with any se*x trafficking crime and instead seeks to ‘smear’ him with ‘allegations concerning his lifestyle,’ according to the document. In a statement, Mr. Stone said the accusations were ‘absurd and blatantly false’.
He told The Sun: ‘The story shared by the Plaintiffs is upsetting and paints a picture of numerous troubled and broken domestic relationships. ‘We are certain this will be made clear in future legal proceedings’. A spokesman for the Duchess said: ‘The Duchess has only met Mr. Crow once with others to discuss environmental issues.’