What is the lawsuit filed against Bassnectar and what has he been accused of?
TWO women have filed a lawsuit against EMD DJ Bassnectar alleging sex trafficking, child pornography and sexual abuse.
The two women filed the complaint on Friday, April 2, Fox News reported, and accuse the musician of grooming them into having a sexual relationship when they were minors.
Who is Bassnectar?
Bassnectar – born Lorin Ashton – is an American electronic dance music DJ and record producer.
The San Francisco Bay Area native performs regularly at a variety of music festivals, including Bonnaroo, Camp Bisco, Coachella, the Electric Daisy Carnival, the Electric Forest Festival, Lollapalozza, and many others.
In 2012, Bassnectar sold over 250,000 tickets, not including festivals.
Bassnectar finished in fourth place in the 2013 America’s Best DJ competition conducted by DJ Times magazine and Pioneer DJ.[10]
In July 2020, Bassnectar announced that he was “stepping back” from music, amid allegations of sexual misconduct from several women who also claimed they had sex with the DJ when they were minors.
To those allegations Bassnectar denied them and branded them “untrue”.
“The rumors of sexual misconduct that are circulating about me are completely untrue. I want to leave it at that, because it truly is that simple.
“I have never been involved in anything that was not absolutely, unequivocally consensual.”
Bassnectar added: “During a time when high profile men are being called out for their violence against women, I am proud to be an ally of women and stand in solidarity with victims.
“Thank you to all those who are listening to real victims of abuse and standing to support women.”
What is the latest lawsuit filed against Bassnectar?
A lawsuit against Bassnectar was filed on Friday alleging sex crimes by two women.
Also named as defendants were companies Amorphous Music Inc., Bassnectar Touring Inc., Interactive Giving Fund, Red Light Management and C3 Presents LLC.
The women claim they had sexual relationships with the DJ as minors, starting as early as 2012.
What has he been accused of?
The two women – known only as Rachel and Alexis, according to TMZ – accuse the musician of sex trafficking, child pornography and sex abuse.
According to the legal documents, Bassnectar first contacted the girls via direct message on social media to start a relationship.
Both women claim he encouraged them to watch the film American Beauty – described as “a movie about an older man having a relationship with a young girl” – and even referenced the theme of the film at his shows.
Bassnectar allegedly learned the girls were underage through the DM before he sent them tickets to his shows.
The women then claim he invited them back to his hotel room for sex, which he allegedly “mandated be without the use of a condom.”
Despite knowing they were underage, the docs say, the musician would provide tickets and travel arrangements for the young women and would demand sex during their time together and imposed strict rules over them.
The women mentioned in the suit that they were allegedly used to “fund and support Bassnectar’s sex trafficking venture”.
According to the court documents, the DJ paid the girls for sex in amounts ranging from $300 to $1,600, and is accused of maintaining control over their lives while directing them to keep their relationship secret.
Rachel claims she was first contacted by Bassnectar in late 2012 and began having sex with him in May 2013 when she was underage.
She also claims he also solicited her to “take and send sexually explicit photographs of herself while naked.”
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Alexis claims she was contacted by Bassnectar in 2014 and he had sex with her on numerous occasions between 2014 and 2016, when she was underage.
The women are suing for damages, past and future emotional distress as well as medical expenses.
Reps for Bassnectar did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Sun.