In 1993, Jill Harth was building a career in the beauty pageant industry when her business relationship with Donald Trump brought her into a world of wealthy men, young models, and private gatherings. What happened at Mar-a-Lago would stay with her for decades.
A Business Opportunity that Became Something Else
Jill Harth was 31 years old in 1993, working in the beauty pageant business alongside her then-partner, George Houraney. Together, they organized competitions and recruited aspiring models and beauty contestants, many of whom dreamed of careers in entertainment, fashion, and television.
Their work brought them into Donald Trump’s orbit. Trump was already a prominent New York real estate developer, known for his wealth, celebrity connections, and extravagant properties. A business arrangement involving beauty pageants gave Harth and Houraney opportunities to work with him.
But Harth says Trump began making unwanted sexual advances toward her almost immediately.
She described a man who treated their professional relationship as an opportunity to pursue her sexually, even though she was romantically involved with Houraney and had made clear that she was not interested.
The Night at Mar-a-Lago
In January 1993, Harth and Houraney traveled to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, for a gathering involving young women connected to their pageant business.
Jeffrey Epstein was also present.
According to Houraney’s later recollections, Epstein appeared to be the only other male guest among the numerous young women attending the gathering. The setting brought together two wealthy, influential men and aspiring models whose careers could benefit from connections to people like Trump.
Harth says Trump used the occasion to isolate her.
She described being taken into a bedroom at Mar-a-Lago, where Trump pushed her against a wall, forcibly kissed her, and touched intimate parts of her body without her consent.
Harth says she resisted his advances and tried to get away. She described feeling frightened and trapped as Trump continued touching her despite her objections.
For Harth, what began as a business visit had become a frightening encounter with a man whose wealth and influence far exceeded her own.
Another Young Woman’s Experience
Harth’s account of that evening included another disturbing incident involving a young model named Lauren Petrella.
According to Harth’s later legal complaint, Trump entered Petrella’s bedroom at Mar-a-Lago and subjected her to unwanted sexual touching.
Petrella was among the young women associated with the pageant business that had brought Harth and Houraney into Trump’s circle.
Harth’s description of what happened to Petrella raised a broader concern: the women invited into this environment were not simply attending a business gathering. They were young women seeking professional opportunities in a setting controlled by powerful men.
The presence of Epstein, who would later become notorious for sexually abusing and trafficking underage girls, adds an unsettling dimension to Harth’s recollections.
Taking Her Story to Court
In 1997, Harth filed a federal lawsuit describing Trump’s conduct toward her.
Her complaint recounted the encounter at Mar-a-Lago and other instances of unwanted sexual attention. She described a pattern in which Trump repeatedly crossed boundaries, disregarded her objections, and used situations arising from their business relationship to pursue her.
The lawsuit placed her account into the public record years before Trump’s first presidential campaign and long before the Epstein scandal became a national obsession.
Harth ultimately withdrew her sexual harassment lawsuit in connection with the resolution of a separate business dispute involving Trump and Houraney.
But withdrawing the lawsuit did not mean Harth abandoned her account.
Nearly two decades later, when Trump emerged as a serious presidential contender, she spoke publicly again about what she said had happened.
In interviews during the 2016 election, Harth revisited the experience, describing the unwanted touching, the fear, and the lasting impact of her encounters with Trump.
Her story had not changed in its central accusation: a powerful businessman had used his access to her through a professional relationship to make unwanted sexual advances.
A Woman Who Refused to Let Her Story Disappear
Harth’s experience occupies an important place in the history of women who have publicly described sexual misconduct by Donald Trump.
She was speaking about his behavior long before he became president. Her 1997 complaint preserved her account in a formal public document at a time when challenging a wealthy and influential businessman carried substantial personal and professional risks.
Her story also offers a glimpse into the social environment in which Trump and Epstein moved during the early 1990s.
Young women seeking careers in modeling and entertainment were brought into private settings where powerful men controlled access, opportunity, and influence.
Harth says she entered that world as a businesswoman trying to build a successful career.
She emerged with an experience she would spend years trying to make people understand.
And when Trump’s political rise brought renewed attention to his treatment of women, Jill Harth was willing to tell her story again.
Editor: I am publishing these accounts of 11 women who appeared in the House Committee on the Judiciary Staff Report. Where their names are known, I am publishing them. Where they aren’t known, I am not speculating. The point of these stories is that each of these women is a real person with real experiences, real feelings, and a family. They are somebody’s daughter. They deserve to be heard.
Report can be found here: We Have Certain Things in Common, Jeffrey
