Celebrity News:

David Copperfield's lawyers have dismissed a document outlining how his assistants were to gather women he found attractive at his shows - insisting the illusionist is the victim of a blackmail attempt. According to the document, titled Show Participation, Copperfield's employees had to gather a clipboard, a camera and brochures of his islands in the Bahamas when they went out to find good-looking women - and impress them with promises of work. The paperwork advised the assistants to try and encourage the women to go backstage to meet Copperfield. But the magician's lawyer, David Handoff, claims the document is made-up and is part of a recent extortion attempt against the magician. He tells website Tmz.com, "Recently, Mr. Copperfield was the victim of an unsuccessful extortion attempt by a disgruntled former employee. We believe these documents are a smear campaign which is a product of that unsuccessful shakedown effort. The distorted and twisted claim that these meet and greets were designed as a dating service for Mr. Copperfield is ridiculous. In fact, thousands of audience participants were greeted in this fashion. The innuendo that voluntary meetings with audience members has anything to do with forced, non-consensual activity is both untrue and unfair." Copperfield is currently under investigation for allegedly raping a Seattle, Washington woman in the Bahamas. His lawyer insists his client will be found innocent of the rape charges against him