Second John Travolta accuser drops suit

Los Angeles - The second masseur who accused John Travolta of sexual battery dropped his lawsuit against the Hollywood star on Thursday and hired celebrity attorney Gloria Allred, who said she may file a new complaint in a different court.

Allred now represents the Atlanta-based man, known as John Doe No 2, as well as the original Travolta sexual battery accuser, a Texas masseur known as John Doe No 1.

"We believe that the lawsuit should be filed in another court and, therefore, the lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice," Allred said in a statement. 

Vindicated

"We will be conferring with our client regarding what will happen next in this case."

Travolta's lawyer was not immediately available for comment. But earlier this week when John Doe No 1 dropped his complaint, attorney Martin Singer said it vindicated his client. Singer has vehemently denied all the claims against Travolta since the scandal erupted this month.

John Doe No 1 initially claimed in court papers filed on 4 May that Travolta groped him during a private massage in a Beverly Hills hotel in January. Days later, John Doe No 2 joined the suit with a similar complaint resulting from a massage at an Atlanta hotel in late January.

But on Tuesday this week, the former attorney for John Doe No 1 asked to have the suit dismissed, and his ex-client then hired Allred.

The announcement by Allred effectively ends the lawsuit and puts the two plaintiffs under her representation.

Travolta, 58, has been married to actress Kelly Preston since 1991.

He first gained fame on the television show Welcome Back, Kotter and later enjoyed hit movies such as Saturday Night Fever and Urban Cowboy before going on to grittier roles in films such as Pulp Fiction and Get Shorty.

Allred represented the family of OJ Simpson's slain ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, during Simpson's trial, and she represented two women who involved with golfer Tiger Woods during his sex scandal.