**Diplo Faces Lawsuit for Alleged Distribution of Revenge Porn**
A new lawsuit has been filed against renowned DJ and producer Diplo, accusing him of distributing revenge porn. The suit, filed by a Jane Doe in California, alleges that Diplo, whose real name is Thomas Wesley Pentz, shared explicit images and videos of her without her consent. Representatives for Diplo have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Diplo, known for his collaborations with top artists like Skrillex, Justin Bieber, and Usher, has also been a prominent figure at various music festivals, including the Stagecoach country music festival. The lawsuit claims that Jane Doe, a New York resident, had a sexual relationship with Diplo from 2016 to 2023. During this period, she explicitly communicated that she did not want any recordings of their sexual activities to be made or distributed without her consent.
The suit further alleges that in November 2023, a third party informed Jane Doe that they possessed images and videos of her and Diplo engaging in sexual activities. According to the lawsuit, between 2018 and 2023, Diplo recorded their sexual encounters without her knowledge or consent and shared these recordings with third parties via text messaging and Snapchat.
Jane Doe reported the incident to the New York Police Department (NYPD) in November 2023. The lawsuit states that she has suffered and will continue to suffer from severe emotional distress, anxiety, depression, and loss of privacy due to the unauthorized distribution of these intimate images and videos.
This is not the first time Diplo has faced such allegations. In 2021, a Los Angeles woman named Shelly Auguste sued him for sexual abuse, distributing revenge porn, and other misconduct. Auguste’s lawsuit claimed that Diplo solicited her for sex when she was underage and later had sex with her without disclosing that he had sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which he allegedly transmitted to her. When she spoke out about his behavior, Diplo allegedly retaliated by posting explicit photos of her on social media without her consent.
Diplo denied Auguste’s claims in a 2021 Instagram post. In 2022, he won a $1.2 million arbitration ruling, which determined that Auguste’s social media posts violated the terms of a mutual restraining order. Diplo’s attorney, Bryan J. Freedman, stated that Diplo would defend himself against these allegations and win, as he had done previously.
Auguste’s lawsuit against Diplo is scheduled for a civil trial in January 2024. In addition to the ongoing legal battle with Auguste, Diplo is also suing her for stalking, trespassing, and distributing private materials. Diplo’s lawsuit, filed in April 2021, describes Auguste as “dangerously unstable” and claims she made relentless efforts to communicate with him after their relationship ended, including through fake social media accounts.
In August 2023, Auguste filed a new police report against Diplo, alleging that he distributed nude photographs of her without permission. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) submitted the case to the Los Angeles city attorney’s office in November, where it is currently under review. Auguste’s new lawsuit against Diplo includes claims of sexual battery, gender violence, intentional intrusion into private affairs, battery, assault, defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and fraud, as well as violations of the Ralph Civil Rights Act and the Tom Bane Civil Rights Act.
Auguste has stated that she believes Diplo distributed the nude photographs to harass and embarrass her in retaliation for her legal actions against him. She has been granted a new temporary restraining order against Diplo, which was extended until December 2023. Auguste is also enrolled in California’s Safe at Home program, which provides a substitute mailing address for victims of domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, human trafficking, and elder and dependent abuse.
In response to the new allegations, Diplo’s attorney, Bryan J. Freedman, reiterated that Auguste has been orchestrating a smear campaign against Diplo for over three years. He stated that Diplo would defend himself and win, as he had done in the past.
The music industry has been under scrutiny for enabling abusive behavior, and Auguste hopes that her case will bring about change. “I think it’s time the music industry stops enabling the perpetual abuse that occurs,” she said in a statement. “I have been silenced for far too long. I hope that with this restraining order I can finally gain peace and protection. I hope that with the criminal investigation, the justice system gets it right this time.”
As the legal battles continue, the allegations against Diplo highlight the ongoing issues of consent and privacy in the digital age. The outcome of these cases could have significant implications for how such matters are handled in the future.
Source: Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, PEOPLE
