Joe Francis' legal docket has gone mild.
Just two weeks after closing the books on federal tax-dodging charges, the Girls Gone Wild guru skated on a charge of misdemeanor sexual battery after prosecutors informed the court they were unable to locate his accuser.
“We informed the judge today that we were unable to proceed because we were not able to contact either the victim or the witness," Los Angeles City Attorney spokesperson Frank Mateljan tells E! News. "The judge dismissed the case.”
According to the 18-year-old woman who filed the complaint a year ago, Francis groped her breasts, buttocks and inner thighs—despite her repeated requests for him to stop—after meeting at a swanky Hollywood party. Not only couldn't prosecutors find the young woman, they couldn't find the person who originally corroborated the tale.
Francis' attorney, Mark Werksman, has steadfastly denied his client ever had contact with the partygoer.
"It was based on lies and exaggerations by a girl who claims to have been at a dinner party where there were 20 other people, and Joe has no recollection of meeting or seeing her there," the lawyer told E! News. "Joe is a celebrity who is an inviting target for outrageous claims and allegations, and this one was properly rejected by the authorities."
If convicted, Francis could have faced up to six months in the slammer.
—Additional reporting by Claudia Rosenbaum