The allegations against Cooperfield include claims that he drugged three women before having sexual intercourse with them and that they thought they could not consent.
The allegations, which the 67-year-old illusionist denies, date from the late 1980s to 2014.
The women making allegations about Copperfield's behavior met him through his work as one of the world's most successful entertainers.
Some of the women told the Guardian that they were only able to speak out about their alleged experiences with Copperfield after the #MeToo movement.
Statement from their lawyers
In a written response to the Guardian, his lawyers said Copperfield "has never engaged in inappropriate behavior with anyone, let alone a minor." The lawyers claimed Copperfield was a champion of the #MeToo movement, which encourages women to come forward and tell their stories of alleged harassment.
What are the allegations?
Copperfield has been accused of misconduct in the past. One of the 16 women, Brittney Lewis, went public in 2018 with allegations that he drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1988 when she was a 17-year-old model. Copperfield has denied the allegations, which were published in The Wrap, a digital news organization that covers media and entertainment.
Another woman told the Guardian that she had a similar experience, claiming that she and a friend were drugged and unable to give consent before having sex with both of them.
The women also alleged that Copperfield groped or sexually touched them during live performances on stage.
Three of them were teenagers at the time of the alleged incidents. Family members of a 15-year-old girl sitting in the audience claim they witnessed Copperfield groping her breasts.
Copperfield's lawyers said the allegations that Copperfield touched women inappropriately were "not only completely false, but completely implausible".
Fallon Thornton, 38, told the Guardian that Copperfield squeezed her breast after calling her on stage during a performance at the MGM Grand hotel in January 2014. According to records, Thornton reported the allegation to MGM and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, but felt her claim was never taken seriously. Las Vegas police told the Guardian in a statement that they closed the case due to "insufficient evidence."
The Guardian's investigation revealed common themes among the allegations. Many women said Copperfield promised to help them with their careers in modeling or entertainment and tried to contact them and their families.
Link to Epstein
Copperfield has faced separate scrutiny over her relationship with child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in prison in 2019.
Copperfield was among the high-profile people named in court documents related to Epstein that were unsealed in January.
But Copperfield's name does not necessarily mean he committed a crime.
According to an affidavit, Copperfield asked a woman who later turned out to be one of Epstein's victims if she was "aware that girls were being paid to find other girls" for Epstein.
