State Champ Radio sexual harassment
The 100 Percenters, a musicians’ advocacy group, announced Wednesday (April 24) that several music organizations have signed a pledge designed to hold companies accountable for ensuring workplace safety.
Signees to the pledge, which was devised by The 100 Percenters, include the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), BMI, the Recording Academy, the Mechanical Licensing Collective (the MLC), EVEN, Artistry Group, Eat Predators, HRDRV, Industry Blackout, LVRN, Love Pulse Music.
Called the Safe Music Business pledge, the agreement asks signatories to abide by the following rules:
Committing to keeping artists, songwriters, producers and staff safe in their workplace and studio sessions
Committing to reporting sexual harassment, intimidation or violence to the appropriate parties in our workplace or studio sessions and taking action
Not tolerating inappropriate behavior in their workplace or studio sessions
Having or creating a safe space to support their artists, songwriters, producers and staff who don’t feel safe
Having or hiring safe space leadership to support their artists, songwriters, producers and staff who don’t feel safe
The organization hopes the pledge will help protect artists, songwriters, producers and staff members who work for or with these organizations. Safety is a particularly pressing concern for women and non-binary creatives working in male-dominated spaces in the industry. The 100 Percenters, founded by songwriter Tiffany Red, is primarily focused on initiatives that protect music’s most marginalized creatives and professionals.
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If a signatory breaks the pledge, a representative from The 100 Percenters says it will have a private conversation with the executives at the company, asking them to take accountability and take meaningful steps to ensure the workplace will be safer in the future. Such instances would be handled on a case-by-case basis, and the organization that breaks its vow could be removed from the pledge — with that removal potentially announced publicly.
The organization announced the signatories of the pledge with a corresponding open letter from Red that pointed to recent allegations of alleged abuse perpetuated by music professionals like Sean “Diddy” Combs and Russell Simmons. “The truth remains to be determined in a court of law,” the letter clarifies. “However, can we not acknowledge the troubling pattern of alleged abuse of power in music?”
The letter continues: “Despite finding allies within these companies who acknowledged the necessity of initiatives like the Safe Music Business pledge, the response has been dishearteningly silent. We encountered a significant reluctance throughout the outreach process to secure pledges. It’s a disappointing reality. It shouldn’t be such a challenging task for companies to adopt a more transparent, proactive stance in addressing sexual misconduct and violence within the music industry.”
“We are immensely grateful for the companies and organizations that have taken the SMB pledge,” the letter adds. “Their commitment to creating safer work environments within the music industry is commendable and represents a significant step towards positive change. By pledging to prioritize workplace safety, these companies demonstrate leadership and a genuine dedication to the well-being of music creatives and professionals. Their actions serve as an inspiring example for others to follow, and we sincerely appreciate their efforts to foster a culture of respect, safety, and inclusivity in our industry.”
To read the full letter, visit the 100 Percenters website here.
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In a surprising moment, Touré revealed that Diddy once allegedly made sexual advances on a male relative of his who was his intern.
In the wake of the turbulence surrounding Diddy, writer and cultural critic Touré aired a new surprising allegation during an appearance on MSNBC host Joy Reid’s nightly show. As he spoke with Reid on the Tuesday episode of The ReidOut (March 27) he began: “I was personally disturbed many years ago,” about the allegations against Diddy of sexual abuse and a burgeoning sex trafficking investigation, “I know this man well enough to call him and say, ‘Hey, I need a favor.’ This might have been 10, 12 years ago.”
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“I called him and said, ‘Hey, I have a family member who I want you to hire as an intern.’ I have never talked about this publicly,” Touré explained before continuing: “He said, ‘Yes.’ And they were flying around, on the jet, in the house, whatever.” He added: “And then the internship stopped abruptly, like three or four months into it. I spoke to my family member, like, ‘What happened?’ And they wouldn’t say.”
“Years later, they finally came out — this is a male — and said that Puff had said, ‘Come home, stay the night with me or the internship is over.’ And they said, ‘Absolutely not.’ And the internship ended. From there I was like, ‘Oh! This is how it goes.’ So to hear that things went even further with potentially, allegedly, many other people … we feel like we’ve seen this coming.”
The revelation comes as Diddy is in a whirlwind of controversy thanks to another lawsuit filed by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Jr. earlier this year accusing the Bad Boy Records founder of sexual assault. Jones worked on Diddy’s The Love Album: Off The Grid. In the documents of the suit, Jones alleged that Diddy frequently engaged in unwanted sexual contact and attempted to coerce him into sexual acts with other men in addition to other misdeeds such as spiking women’s drinks and soliciting underage girls. Diddy is also dealing with another lawsuit from a victim who claims that he and Bad Boy Records president Harve Pierre brought her from Michigan to New Jersey and sexually assaulted her when she was 17.
The future of an international drumming competition designed to highlight and encourage young female drummers is in question after the program’s co-founder/executive director resigned earlier this month following accusations he made inappropriate comments to one of the contestants.
David Levine was asked to step down from the Los Angeles-based nonprofit Hit Like a Girl on Mar. 10 after Irish singer-drummer Ria Rua posted a video to Instagram claiming he asked her for “inappropriate pictures” in 2019 and told the then-20-year-old he “enjoyed” blurring out the outline of her breast in one of her photographs so he could use it in promotional assets for the contest. Levine says his comments were meant to be supportive and sarcastic, not offensive.
“Women shouldn’t have to deal with this stuff,” Rua said in the Instagram video. She then shared a screenshot of Levine’s email, which included the line, “Please send me more of those photos, even the ones your Mum may not like.” For “context,” she then showed the profile picture from her contest entry page that prompted his request. In it, she was not wearing a top under her jacket. “He edited out my boob and he said he enjoyed it,” she said.
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Rua tells Billboard that, in addition to the email, Levine made some of these comments over two phone calls. She said he asked if her mom liked the photo, and she replied, “I don’t know. I’m sure she doesn’t love it.” The second call was about a possible cymbal endorsement deal, in which she says she brought up the altered photo and he said “he had enjoyed photoshopping my boob.”
In a statement announcing his resignation, posted to Instagram, Levine said, “I wish to sincerely apologize for the inappropriate and offensive comments I made to [Ria Rua] as well as the harm my behavior has caused to others in the female drumming community. There is no excuse for my bad judgment, abusing my authority and undermining Hit Like A Girl’s good works. The Hit Like A Girl Board has requested my resignation as Executive Director and I am fully complying with that request, effective today, March 10, 2024 at 12:00 PM PT. Furthermore, I will be entering sexual harassment sensitivity counseling in the days ahead.”
He concluded: “Until new Directors can be installed the Hit Like A Girl and Drum Summit websites, social media and YouTube along with all current projects will be suspended,” adding, “I would ask that everyone in the drumming community continue to support the growth of female drummers through other channels.”
When reached for comment, Levine — who also owns TRX Cymbals and developed Drum Summit: Empowering Women Through Drumming — told Billboard in an email, “The board members asked for my resignation immediately after Ria Rua’s messages were posted and I complied. I sincerely hope the organization’s mission and work will continue however I am not involved in that process.” He also said his comments to Rua were “my attempt at sarcasm.”
Sexual harassment is by far the most widely-cited problem facing female creators in the music industry, according to a 2021 study by MIDiA Research, in conjunction with Tunecore and its parent company, Believe. The study found that “almost two-thirds of female creators identified sexual harassment or objectification as a key challenge.” The #MeToo movement empowered women to come forward with personal stories, ranging from drugging and rape to sexist behavior and misogyny. The industry, as a whole, still seems reluctant to speak out, instead feeling more comfortable addressing parity and advancement for women, including with initiatives like the Hit Like a Girl contest.
Rua started playing music in primary school, initially with the tin whistle and then guitar. At 12, she picked up drums and accompanied an accordion marching band, then joined The National Youth Orchestra of Ireland. In 2017, she entered a Hit Like a Girl competition, which she says seemed “massive,” sponsored by “all the big companies” and judged by “the best drummers and percussionists in the world.” In 2018 she won the organization’s Joe Hibbs Award.
Rua decided to share her story now, she tells Billboard, because she writes songs about women’s issues and had just released a new song about this specific experience and wanted to “practice what I preach.” In the Instagram video, she also noted she’d been inspired to speak out by recent allegations of sexual misconduct, “especially all the stuff about P. Diddy.”
“[Levine] is still the head of [Hit Like A Girl] and it’s still running to this day,” she said in her video. ”If it happened to me, I’m sure it happened to other women out there.”
Less than a year after Rua’s incidents with Levine, she says she told a then-Hit Like a Girl board member. She asked the board member to discuss it with the board, but not to tell Levine. The board member, who left the organization in 2021 because of what Rua told her about Levine — and does not wish to be named because of an unrelated personal issue — confirmed that account to Billboard. “I had no evidence of anything. I couldn’t really do anything formally.”
“At that time, I was still pretty afraid,” Rua says. “This guy is massive. He runs Hit Like a Girl. He owns the TRX Cymbal company. He owns another management company that manages a lot of the top brands.”
Rua posted a second video in which she sobbed and thanked everyone for supporting her, and then a third video explaining she came forward because she had written her song “Asking For It” “about my story with David” and now, when she sings it, “I’m going to remember the support that I had.”
Hit Like A Girl began in 2012 “as a drum contest/market development project,” as Levine puts it, which he co-founded with DRUM! magazine publisher Phil Hood and Mindy Abovitz, founder of female-focused Tom Tom magazine — both of whom left the organization years ago.
Levine told Billboard in an email that Rua entered the contest in 2017 and 2018 under her birth name — which Billboard has decided not to run at her request — and that during this time they “had multiple conversations by phone, email, text, etc.” He continued, “She was a talented musician and an interesting person.” He also attached the 2017 photo she submitted. Rua says they exchanged only one email and one Instagram message and had two phone calls. She provided the email and Instagram message to Billboard.
“At some point in 2018 [name redacted] introduced her new persona, Ria Rua, with a completely new look,” Levine tells Billboard in an email. “During a phone call I asked her if I could use one of the photos for a social media post to promote her and the contest. She told me that her mother didn’t approve of them. I responded in an email that she should send me the photos, ‘even the one’s her mum may not like.’ As with the rest of the email, I was trying to show support but, unfortunately, my attempt at sarcasm was not appreciated.
“I felt that the image she sent me was a bit too provocative for the Hit Like A Girl audience so I retouched it and sent it back to her for approval, which she provided. My recollection of our conversation is that I said something to the effect that I was happy to be able to photoshop the image so that it would be appropriate for us to share.”
Rua says she distinctly remembers him using the word “enjoyed” when talking about editing the photo. After that, she never entered the contest again.
Hit Like A Girl was incorporated and received 501(c)(3) charitable status in 2021, and Levine became executive director, he told Billboard, “with a board of directors that included six women.” He added, “We also established chapters in nearly 60 countries around the world that were managed exclusively by women. I often relied on these women for advice and approval.”
Since Rua’s post, she says other women have shared similar correspondence they received from Levine or conversations they had with him after entering the contest.
One California-based drummer — who does not wish to be named — shared screenshots with Billboard of “some weird stuff he said to me on text.”
In the thread, Levine provides suggestions on drum technique and then writes, “Second, try to move your head and body more when you play to show you’re feeling the best and having fun. It will drive the boys crazy.” In another, he writes, “Let me know if you come back up to LA. Maybe I’ll break quarantine for you,” followed by a wink emoji. In regard to some photos she had submitted during the pandemic, he also remarked, “I’ll have to get you a sexier mask, though. You Look like a nurse at a retirement home.”
Asked about these comments, Levine told Billboard in an email, “I don’t recall the other exchange you reference but I did offer advice on how contestants might improve their entries from time to time, when asked. I see now that my comments were inappropriate.”
He concludes by writing that Hit Like A Girl accomplished “many amazing and unprecedented things for girls and women in the past 12 years, not least the fact that drums are no longer considered a ‘gendered’ instrument.”
A Los Angeles judge on Friday (Feb. 2) denied Lizzo’s motion to toss out a bombshell sexual harassment lawsuit filed by three of her former backup dancers, dismissing certain accusations but allowing the case as a whole to move forward toward a trial.
Facing allegations of harassment and discrimination, Lizzo argued last year that case should be dismissed under California’s anti-SLAPP statute — a special law that makes it easier to quickly end meritless lawsuits that threaten free speech (known as “strategic lawsuits against public participation”). Her lawyers argued that the accusers were using the lawsuit to “silence” her.
But in a detailed, 34-page decision, Judge Mark H. Epstein ruled that the anti-SLAPP statute didn’t quite fit all of the lawsuit’s allegations. He tossed out some claims – including a particularly loaded charge that Lizzo fat-shamed one of her dancers – but ruled that remainder of the case could go forward.
Figuring out the proper balance – between protected speech and illegal discrimination – was “no easy task,” Judge Epstein wrote, but he said he had “tried to thread this needle.”
“It is dangerous for the court to weigh in, ham-fisted, into constitutionally protected activity,” the judge wrote. “But it is equally dangerous to turn a blind eye to allegations of discrimination or other forms of misconduct merely because they take place in a speech-related environment.”
The case against Lizzo, filed in August by dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, accuses the singer (real name Melissa Jefferson) and her Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc. of creating a hostile work environment through a wide range of legal wrongdoing, including not just sexual harassment but also religious and racial discrimination. The alleged weight-shaming, the lawsuit claims, amounted to a form of disability discrimination.
In one particularly vivid allegation, Lizzo’s accusers claimed she pushed them to attend a live sex show at a venue in Amsterdam’s famed Red Light District called Bananenbar, and then pressured them to engage with the performers, including “eating bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas.” After Lizzo herself allegedly led a chant “goading” Davis to touch one performer’s breasts, the lawsuit says, Davis eventually did so.
Repped by Hollywood defense attorney Martin D. Singer, Lizzo fired back in October, arguing that Davis, Williams and Rodriguez had “an axe to grind” against the star because they had been reprimanded over “a pattern of gross misconduct and failure to perform their job up to par.”
“Plaintiffs embarked on a press tour, vilifying defendants and pushing their fabricated sob story in the courts and in the media. That ends today,” Singer wrote. “Instead of taking any accountability for their own actions, plaintiffs filed this lawsuit against defendants out of spite and in pursuit of media attention, public sympathy and a quick payday with minimal effort.”
The filing came with sworn statements from 18 members of Lizzo’s touring company who dispute many of the lawsuit’s specific factual accusations. That included several who challenged the headline-grabbing claim that Lizzo fat-shamed some of her dancers — a particularly loaded allegation against a singer who has made body positivity a key part of her brand.
Lizzo’s counter-attack came under the anti-SLAPP law. Anti-SLAPP motions are filed every day, but it was unusual to see one aimed at dismissing a harassment and discrimination lawsuit filed by former employees against their employer. They’re more common in precisely the opposite scenario: filed by an individual who claims that they’re being unfairly sued by a powerful person to silence accusations of abuse or other wrongdoing.
In their filings, Lizzo’s lawyers argued that the anti-SLAPP law could still apply to the current case because of the creative nature of the work in question. They called the lawsuit “a brazen attempt to silence defendants’ creative voices and weaponize their creative expression against them.”
But in his ruling on Friday, Judge Epstein largely rejected that argument. He said that conduct relating to speech is protected and that California law “law wisely disfavors chilling such conduct.” But he cautioned that free speech was not a magic wand against allegations of employer wrongdoing.
“The fact that the alleged incidents take place in the entertainment or speech world is no shield of invulnerability or license to ignore law enacted for the protection of California’s citizens,” the judge said.
The judge dismissed a sexual harassment allegation involving a nude photoshoot on the set of the reality competition series Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls; a disability discrimination accusation around one dancer’s allegation that she was fired from Lizzo’s tour after disclosing her mental health issues; and another allegation stating that Lizzo’s camp intentionally interfered with the dancers’ other job prospects after placing them on a “soft hold” and telling them they could not accept other work.
Lizzo and Shirlene Quigley, the captain of the singer’s dance team, will still have to face other allegations of sexual harassment, as well as accusations of racial and religious discrimination.
“We’re very pleased with the judge’s ruling, and we absolutely consider it a victory on balance,” said the dancers’ lawyer, Ron Zambrano, in a statement. “He did dismiss a few allegations, including the meeting where Arianna was fat shamed, the nude photo shoot, and dancers being forced to be on ‘hold’ while not on tour. However, all the other claims remain, including sexual, religious and racial discrimination, sexual harassment, the demeaning visits to the Bananenbar in Amsterdam and Crazy Horse in Paris, false imprisonment, and assault. The ruling also rightfully signals that Lizzo – or any celebrity – is not insulated from this sort of reprehensible conduct merely because she is famous. We now look forward to conducting discovery and preparing the case for trial.”
In his own statement, Lizzo’s lawyer, Stefan Friedman, said: “We are pleased that Judge Epstein wisely threw out all or part of four of the plaintiffs’ causes of action. Lizzo is grateful to the judge for seeing through much of the noise and recognizing who she is – a strong woman who exists to lift others up and spread positivity. We plan to appeal all elements that the judge chose to keep in the lawsuit and are confident we will prevail.”
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Christian Keyes, an actor and model who has several credits in both film and television, revealed that a powerful figure in the industry sexually harassed him for years. Keyes, a Michigan native, made his film debut in Tyler Perry‘s Diary Of A Mad Black Woman along with other productions Perry was involved in.
Via an Instagram Live video, Christian Keyes, 48, shared chilling details of what he allegedly endured at the hands of the unnamed person on Friday (December 15). In the video, Keyes explained that he was propositioned by the individual several times with requests to remove his clothing for money or visit the person’s home after auditions.
In the video, Keyes clearly states that he didn’t take the bait or engage in any activity to gain favor with the person who allegedly pressured and sexually harassed him. While he didn’t name the person in question, Keyes claims to have recordings that back up his story.
“The good news is that they don’t even have to believe me. Hopefully they do, but if they don’t, they can hear this person. Since the sexual harassment started, I’ve carried many recorder devices on me: keychains, pens, thumb drives, all of the above,” Keyes said.
Keyes went on to say that he wants to “air that sh*t” out because the person he is accusing of harassment is a beloved figure in the industry and has several supportive fans. Further, Keyes said that the perpetrator of the alleged harassment told him that he had other men on the payroll who heeded their beck and call in a bid to get him to follow suit.
On Twitter, Tyler Perry as mentioned above, saw his name trending and given the fact that Christian Keyes got his start with Perry, folks online are connecting unconfirmed dots on their own. Others one mentioned Robert Smith and Sean “Diddy” Combs as the mystery figure.
We’ve got reactions below. The IG Live session in question can be viewed below as well.
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This is The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings and all the fun stuff in between.
This week: Lizzo fights back against sexual harassment allegations with the help of a famous lawyer and a creative legal argument; a federal court issues an early ruling in an important copyright lawsuit over artificial intelligence; Kobalt is hit with a lawsuit alleging misconduct by one of the company’s former executives; and much more.
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THE BIG STORY: Lizzo Hits Back With … Free Speech?
Three months after Lizzo and her touring company were accused of subjecting three of her backup dancers to sexual harassment, religious and racial discrimination and weight-shaming, her lawyers filed their first substantive response – and they didn’t hold back.
“Salacious and specious lawsuit.” “They have an axe to grind.” “A pattern of gross misconduct and failure to perform their job up to par.” “Fabricated sob story.” “Plaintiffs are not victims.” “They are opportunists.”
“Plaintiffs had it all and they blew it,” Lizzo’s lawyers wrote. “Instead of taking any accountability for their own actions, plaintiffs filed this lawsuit against defendants out of spite and in pursuit of media attention, public sympathy and a quick payday with minimal effort.”
That’s not exactly dry legalese, but it’s par-for-the-course in a lawsuit that has already featured its fair share of blunt language from the other side. And it’s hardly surprising given that it came from Martin Singer – an infamously tough celebrity lawyer once described by the Los Angeles Times as “Hollywood’s favorite legal hit man.”
While Singer’s quotes made the headlines, it was his legal argument that caught my attention.
Rather than a normal motion to dismiss the case, Lizzo’s motion cited California’s so-called anti-SLAPP statute — a special type of law enacted in states around the country that makes it easier to end meritless lawsuits that threaten free speech (known as “strategic lawsuits against public participation”). Anti-SLAPP laws allow for such cases to be tossed out more quickly, and they sometimes require a plaintiff to repay the legal bills incurred by a defendant.
Anti-SLAPP motions are filed every day, but it’s pretty unusual to see one aimed at dismissing a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit filed by former employees against their employer. They’re more common in precisely the opposite scenario: filed by an individual who claims that they’re being unfairly sued by a powerful person to silence accusations of abuse or other wrongdoing.
But in Friday’s motion, Singer and Lizzo’s other lawyers argued that California’s anti-SLAPP law could also apply to the current case because of the creative nature of the work in question. They called the case “a brazen attempt to silence defendants’ creative voices and weaponize their creative expression against them.”
Will that argument hold up in court? Stay tuned…
Go read the full story about Lizzo’s defense, including access to the actual legal documents filed in court.
Other top stories this week…
RULING IN AI COPYRIGHT CASE – A federal judge issued an early-stage ruling in a copyright class action filed by artists against artificial intelligence (AI) firm Stability AI — one of several important lawsuits filed against AI companies over how they use copyrighted content. Though he criticized the case and dismissed many of its claims, the judge allowed it to move toward trial on its central, all-important question: Whether it’s illegal to train AI models by using copyrighted content.
HALLOWEEN SPECIAL – To celebrate today’s spooky holiday, Billboard turned back the clock all the way to 1988, when the studio behind “A Nightmare on Elm Street” sued Will Smith over a Fresh Prince song and music video that made repeated references to Freddy Kreuger. To get the complete bizarre history of the case, go read our story here.
KOBALT FACES CASE OVER EX-EXEC – A female songwriter filed a lawsuit against Kobalt Music Group and former company executive Sam Taylor over allegations that he leveraged his position of power to demand sex from her – and that the company “ignored” and “gaslit” women who complained about him. The case came a year after Billboard’s Elias Leight first reported those allegations. Taylor did not return a request for comment; Kobalt has called the allegations against the company baseless, saying its employees never “condoned or aided any alleged wrongdoing.”
MF DOOM ESTATE BATTLE – The widow of late hip-hop legend MF Doom filed a lawsuit claiming the rapper’s former collaborator Egon stole dozens of the rapper’s notebooks that were used to write down many of his beloved songs. The case claims that Egon took possession of the files as Doom spent a decade in his native England due to visa issues, where he remained until his death in 2020. Egon’s lawyers called the allegations “frivolous and untrue.”
DJ ENVY FRAUD SCANDAL UPDATE – Cesar Pina, a celebrity house-flipper who was charged earlier this month with running a “Ponzi-like investment fraud scheme,” said publicly last week that New York City radio host DJ Envy had “nothing to do” with the real estate deals in question. Critics have argued that Envy, who hosts the popular hip-hop radio show The Breakfast Club, played a key role in Pina’s alleged fraud by promoting him on the air.
UTOPIA SUED AGAIN OVER FAILED DEAL – Utopia Music was hit with another lawsuit over an aborted $26.5 million deal to buy a U.S. music technology company called SourceAudio, this time over allegations that the company violated a $400,000 settlement that aimed to end the dispute. The allegations came after a year of repeated layoffs and restructuring at the Swiss-based music tech company.
Jason Derulo has spoken out about the lawsuit filed Thursday (Oct. 5) by a woman who claims the superstar sexually harassed her after signing her to his record label.
“I wouldn’t normally comment but these claims are completely false and hurtful,” said Derulo in a video and written statement posted to Instagram Thursday night. “I stand against all forms of harassment and I remain supportive of anybody following their dreams. I’ve always strived to live my life in a positively impactful way, and that’s why I sit here before you deeply offended, by these defamatory claims. God bless.”
In the complaint, the woman, Emaza Gibson, said that she signed with Derulo’s record label, Future History, after Derulo allegedly reached out about working with her in August 2021. But she claimed the relationship quickly soured, with Derulo continually pressuring her to have sex with him despite her persistent refusals to do so. Among other accusations, Gibson said the singer told her that if she wanted success in the music industry, she “would be required to partake in ‘goat skin and fish scales,’ which is a Haitian reference referring to conducting sex rituals, sacrificing a goat, goat blood and doing cocaine.’”
After allegedly rebuffing all of Derulo’s advances, Gibson claimed that the star became increasingly dismissive of and aggressive toward her. She further accused Derulo’s manager, Frank Harris, and human resources executives at Future History’s label partner, Atlantic Records, of defending Derulo or ignoring her complaints. In September 2022, she said she was informed that her “employment” with Future History and Atlantic had been terminated.
Since her alleged experiences with Derulo, Gibson claimed she’s required medical intervention for “breakdowns, weight loss, insomnia, mood swings, hopelessness, loss of motivation…[and] feelings of betrayal and deception” and was subsequently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Gibson is suing for sexual harassment, failure to prevent and/or remedy harassment, retaliation, intimidation and violence, breach of contract and more. Harris, Atlantic and RCA Records are also named as defendants. It’s unclear why RCA Records is listed, as the label has never done business with Derulo or Future History.
On Friday, Gibson’s attorney, Ron Zambrano, responded to Derulo’s statement by putting out his own. “If Derulo truly remained supportive of anyone following their dreams, he would acknowledge the pain and suffering he caused Emaza and aim to be a better person,” the statement reads. “He should be offended by these allegations, as should everyone, including his fans. Emaza is certainly offended by his dismissive attitude. The entire music industry is due for a #MeToo movement. This sort of conduct is pervasive but it takes brave people like Emaza to come out of the shadows and share their stories to finally bring an end to this shameful behavior.”
Singer Jason Derulo is being sued by a woman who claims the singer sexually harassed her and then dropped her from a deal with his record label after she rebuffed his advances, according to documents filed in Los Angeles County court Thursday (Oct. 5).
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In the complaint — filed by attorney Ron Zambrano — the woman, Emaza Gibson, accuses Derulo of pressuring her to drink and have sex with him despite her persistent refusals to do so. In one bizarre claim, Gibson says the singer told her that if she wanted success in the music industry, she “would be required to partake in ‘goat skin and fish scales,’ which is a Haitian reference referring to conducting sex rituals, sacrificing a goat, goat blood and doing cocaine.’”
The complaint additionally lists as defendants Derulo’s record label, Future History; Atlantic Records, which has a joint venture with Future History; Derulo’s manager, Frank Harris; and Radio Corporation of America, dba RCA Records. It’s unclear why RCA Records is listed, as the label has never done business with Derulo or Future History.
According to the lawsuit, Derulo contacted Gibson in August 2021 stating he wanted to sign her to Future History, his new joint-venture label with Atlantic. After allegedly signing contracts with Derulo, Future History and Atlantic, Gibson states that work began on her debut album that same November, with Derulo acting “as her mentor, supervisor and agent for Atlantic and Future.”
Gibson goes on to claim that she regularly communicated with Derulo via text message to schedule recording sessions but that the singer instead “repeatedly” invited her to drinks and dinner — meetings she says she declined in an effort to keep the relationship professional. During a meeting in New York with Atlantic executives to discuss her career, Gibson claims she met another female artist who informed her that she was there because Derulo was also trying to have sex with her.
Gibson claims that after that alleged meeting, upon confronting Derulo about what the woman had said, he “immediately lost control and began aggressively hitting his arm rests screaming, ‘What does she have to do with you!? We weren’t going to tell you anything! We don’t have to tell you anything!’” Stating that she was rattled by the outburst, Gibson says she later insisted that her mother, who also served as her manager, be present at any future meetings of recording sessions with Derulo “out of concern for her own safety.” It was at that point, she claims, that Derulo stopped responding to her text messages.
The two allegedly didn’t meet again until June 2, 2022, when Gibson says she asked Derulo about the budget to pay for her recording sessions. She says Derulo snapped at her and ignored her questions but ultimately arranged for a recording session roughly a week later. Gibson says that due to traffic, she and her mother were approximately one hour late to the session, and that when they arrived, Derulo “immediately charged” and “lunged at her, causing her to step back and clutched [sic] her chest to brace herself for DERULO to physically assault her” before running to the bathroom in tears.
Gibson claims that when complaining to Harris about Derulo’s behavior, the manager defended Derulo and told her that the star “had the right to yell” at her. Derulo allegedly never responded to a follow-up text from Gibson about arranging another recording session, and on Sept. 6, 2022, she says she was informed that her “employment” with Atlantic and Future History had been terminated. She claims she then took her complaints about Derulo’s “sexually, emotionally and physically inappropriate behavior” to Atlantic executives and the label’s human resources department but that she was directed to take up her concerns with Future History. “No one has ever reached out to address” her concerns since, she claims.
Since her alleged experiences with Derulo, Gibson says she’s required medical intervention for “breakdowns, weight loss, insomnia, mood swings, hopelessness, loss of motivation…[and] feelings of betrayal and deception” and was subsequently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Gibson is suing for sexual harassment, failure to prevent and/or remedy harassment, retaliation, intimidation and violence, and breach of contract, among other causes of action. She’s requesting damages for unpaid wages, loss of earnings and deferred compensation; general damages for emotional distress; special damages for medical expenses; and punitive damages.
Representatives for Derulo, Harris, Atlantic and RCA Records did not respond to Billboard‘s request for comment at time of publishing.
Lizzo has lodged her first legal response to the lawsuit brought by three of her former dancers in August.
In what amounts to a 31-point rebuttal against claims that the dancers were subjected to sexual harassment and a hostile work environment while on tour with the singer, Lizzo and her Big Grrrl Big Touring company are requesting that the court dismiss the case with prejudice (meaning it cannot be refiled). In the event the court declines to dismiss it, the defendants are requesting a jury trial.
In the original complaint, filed Aug. 1 in Los Angeles court, dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez accused Lizzo (real name Melissa Jefferson) and Big Grrrl Big Touring of several allegations. Among them: that Lizzo pressured dancers to attend a sex show in Amsterdam and interact with the nude performers; that dance team captain Shirlene Quigley repeatedly engaged in behavior that made them feel uncomfortable; that Lizzo “called attention” to a dancer’s weight gain following a performance; that employees of the touring company singled out Black dancers by accusing them of “being lazy, unprofessional and having bad attitudes”; and that Lizzo denied dancers bathroom breaks during an “excruciating re-audition” process.
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The new document — filed Wednesday by Lizzo’s lawyers, Martin Singer, Michael Weinsten and Melissa Lerner — offers more than 30 wide-ranging defenses to the dancers’ complaint. They include:
That the plaintiffs “ratified, acquiesced, condoned, and/or approved of the acts or omissions of Defendants, in whole or in part, about which Plaintiffs now complain”;
That the defendants’ alleged conduct “was undertaken in good faith and with good cause” and “undertaken for legitimate reasons reasonably related to one or more lawful business purposes”;
That the plaintiffs are “guilty of unclean hands,” which in legal terms means they have done something unethical and should therefore be denied relief;
That the plaintiffs should be barred from pursuing the case based on the doctrine of estoppel, meaning they have acted unfairly or made false representations in bringing the lawsuit;
That the plaintiffs failed to “mediate in good faith pursuant” to their contract terms with Big Grrrl Big Touring and are subject to arbitration under those terms;
That the claims are preempted by California’s Workers’ Compensation Act and should therefore be decided by the workers’ compensation appeals board as opposed to the court;
That if the plaintiffs were harmed as alleged, the plaintiffs and/or others who are not listed as defendants “contributed, in whole or in part,” to that harm;
That the defendants’ alleged actions arose from the exercise of their rights of free speech and/or religion;
That plaintiffs failed to “avail themselves” of internal anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies and complaint procedures while employed on the tour;
That plaintiffs’ claims regarding discrimination or retaliation should be barred because any employment decisions were made “for legitimate, non-discriminatory, non-pretextual reasons and Defendants acted out of business necessity”;
That the plaintiffs “have failed to plead and cannot establish facts sufficient to support allegations of malice, oppression or fraud”;
That defendants are not liable for punitive damages because they did not “engage in wrongful conduct,” “authorize or ratify any wrongful conduct,” or “have advance knowledge of the unfitness of any employee and employ that employee with a conscious disregard of the rights and safety of others.”
“This is the first step of a legal process in which Lizzo and her team will demonstrate that they have always practiced what they’ve preached — whether it comes to promoting body positivity, leading a safe and supportive workplace or protecting individuals from any kind of harassment,” said Lizzo spokesperson Stefan Friedman in a statement. “Any and all claims to the contrary are ridiculous, and we look forward to proving so in a court of law.”
In response to the new filing, the dancers’ attorney, Neama Rahmani, released the following statement: “Lizzo’s answer merely consists of boilerplate objections that have nothing to do with the case. That said, the key takeaway is that Lizzo is agreeing to our clients’ demand for a jury trial. We look forward to presenting our case in court and letting a panel of her peers decide who is telling the truth, Lizzo and her team who continue to shame the victims or the plaintiffs and so many others who have come forward sharing similar stories of abuse and harassment.”
Though this is Lizzo’s first legal response to the lawsuit, the singer categorically denied the dancers’ claims two days after it was filed, stating on social media that the allegations were as “unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed.”
“These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional,” she added. Later that day, the dancers appeared on CNN This Morning to rehash their allegations and called Lizzo’s statement “disheartening” and “incredibly frustrating.”
Two weeks later, Lizzo’s Big Grrrls dance team released a statement in support of the singer, saying they “had the time of our lives” on the tour and continuing, “The commitment to character and culture taking precedence over every movement and moment has been one of the Greatest lessons and Blessings that we could possibly could ask for.”
The Aug. 1 lawsuit is the first of two that have been brought against Lizzo. Earlier this month, the singer — along with her wardrobe manager Amanda Nomura, tour manager Carlina Gugliotta and Big Grrrl Big Touring — were sued by clothing designer Asha Daniels, who alleged sexual and racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault, illegal retaliatory termination and more while working on Lizzo’s Special tour.
The second lawsuit dropped the same day Lizzo was due to receive the Black Music Action Coalition’s Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award at the organization’s 2023 gala.
While accepting the honor that evening, Lizzo — who was introduced by cast members from her Emmy-winning reality show, Watch Out For the Big Grrrls — gave an emotional speech in which she said, “I’m going to continue to be who I am, no matter who’s watching. I’m going to continue to amplify the voices of marginalized people because I have a microphone and I know how to use it. And I’m going to continue to put on, represent and create safe spaces for Black fat women because that’s what the f— I do!”
She continued, “This support right now means the world to me.”
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It seems Lizzo will have to defend her name against more allegations. Another former tour employee has filed a lawsuit claiming that she experienced hostile work conditions.
TMZ is reporting that Asha Daniels has filed a formal legal grievance against the entertainer. On Thursday, September 21 the complaint was filed at Los Angeles County Superior Court. The Hill obtained the documentation which states that Daniels experienced “degradation, forced physical labor, denial of medical care, sexual harassment, and racial harassment” when she worked in wardrobe for Lizzo’s tour starting in February 2023.
The filing goes into further detail on Asha’s time on the road with the singer. “Almost immediately, Plaintiff was introduced to the culture of racism and bullying on Lizzo’s tour,” the lawsuit stated. It added that the her dance team was “forced to change in and out of their clothing in small, tight, changing areas during all the shows with little to no privacy whatsoever” while staff members, who were reported to be primarily white males, crew “would lewdly gawk, sneer, and giggle while watching the dancers rush through their outfit changes.”
Daniels also says that the executive who offered her the position, Amanda Nomura, was especially toxic. She says Nomura, a Black woman, would frequently mock Lizzo and other women of color calling them “dumb”, “fat” and “useless.” Additionally, she says that she was asked to tone down her clothing choices as Lizzo would allegedly get upset if her boyfriend was around attractive women.
Asha also states that management was aware of Nomura’s behavior including tour manager Carlina Gugliotta who suggested Asha secretly record Amanda. Eventually, the plaintiff decided not to fearing secretly recording Nomura would be unethical and or unlawful. Daniels is represented by Neama Rahmani, the same lawyer who represented the three former dancers who filed against the “Special” singer back in August.
Lizzo’s spokesperson Stefan Friedman has responded to the new lawsuit saying the allegations are absurd. “As Lizzo receives a Humanitarian Award tonight from the Black Music Action Coalition for the incredible charitable work she has done to lift up all people, an ambulance-chasing lawyer tries to sully this honor by recruiting someone to file a bogus, absurd publicity-stunt lawsuit who, wait for it, never actually met or even spoke with Lizzo.”
He went on to add, “We will pay this as much attention as it deserves. None.”
