A List of Every Recent Sexual Assault Claim In the Music Industry

Matt Mondanile, accused of multiple sexual assaults.

Is the music industry worse than Hollywood?  Here’s the running list of sexual assault harassment claims within the music  industry.

Matt Mondanile (Real Estate, Duck Tails)

Accusations: In October, Mondanile was accused of inappropriately aggressive sexual behavior involving several women.  The accusers included Julia Holter.

Fallout: Real Estate kicked Mondanile out of the group, sparking a war between Mondanile and the other members.  Tour dates for Mondanile’s solo project Duck Tails were canceled.  There have been no formal charges against Mondanile.

photo: Public Domain

R. Kelly

Accusations: Unnamed sources accused R. Kelly of running a sex cult while keeping sex slaves at his residence.

Fallout: R. Kelly’s attorneys threatened a major defamation lawsuit against Buzzfeed, which reported the story.  Former Kelly girlfriend Kitti Jones has corroborated the story, though her claims have been met with criticism.  No formal charges have been made against Kelly; the Buzzfeed article remains live.

+ 22 Women Share Their Stories of Sexual Assault In the Music Industry (#MeToo)

photo: Facebook

Alex Calder

Accusation: The singer-songwriter was accused of sexual assault/rape by an unnamed victim.

Fallout: Calder’s label Captured Tracks dropped him and started removing his catalog from various download and streaming outlets.  Calder himself admitted to the charges and said that proper consent was not obtained.  He apologized to the victim without identifying the person.  No formal charges have been filed following the initial allegation; Calder remains off the label.

photo: Facebook + Twitter

Heathcliff Beru (publicist)

Accusations: The music publicist faced allegations of multiple incidents of sexually aggressive behavior.  The most prominent accusation came from Amber Coffman of the Dirty Projectors, who accused Berru of groping and even biting (without consent).

Fallout: Berru resigned as CEO of Life or Death PR, and others at the firm resigned.  A large number of clients abandoned the agency.  Berru also admitted to inappropriate incidents, and blamed issues with alcohol and other substances.  Life or Death has essentially been shut down, though many artists decided to stick with their PR agents in separate agreements.

Kirk Webster (publicist)

Accusation: The Nashville publicist was accused of drugging and sexually abusing Austin Rick, who performs as Austin Cody.  Webster apparently offered to trade juicy publicity opportunities in exchange for sexual favors.  Webster denied the allegations.

Fallout: Despite continued denials and statements declaring innocence, Webster shut down his PR firm.  Webster Public Relations is no longer.  The firm was considered one of the most influential in country music, with clientele that spanned Dolly Parton, Charlie Daniels, Kenny Rogers, Hank Williams Jr., and Brenda Lee.

Ethan Kath of Crystal Castles

Accusation: Kath (real name Claudio Palmieri) was accused of raping and physically abusing Crystal Castles singer Alice Glass.  The accusations came from Glass herself, who detailed an abusive relationship that started when she was 15.  The situation caused Glass to leave the group, according to the detailed allegation.

Fallout: Palmieri has completely denied the allegations, and Glass had already left the group.  Palmieri has indicated that he is exploring legal remedies given the fallout that resulted.  That includes a number of canceled tour dates (15 at last count), and undoubtedly other closed opportunities.  “Her story is pure fiction and I am consulting my lawyers as to my legal options. Fortunately, there are many witnesses who can and will confirm that I was never abusive to Alice,” Kath wrote Pitchfork.

photo: Zach Klein (CC 2.5)

Lars von Trier (Danish film director)

Accusation: Björk accused the Danish director of inappropriate touching and harassment, while punishing her professionally for not cooperating with his advances.  “It was extremely clear to me when I walked into the actresses’ profession that my humiliation and role as a lesser sexually harassed being was the norm and set in stone with the director and a staff of dozens who enabled it and encouraged it,” Björk stated on Facebook page. “I became aware that it is a universal thing that a director can touch and harass his actresses at will and the institution of film allows it. When I turned the director down repeatedly he sulked and punished me and created for his team an impressive net of illusion where I was framed as the difficult one.”

Fallout: Lars von Trier denied that anything inappropriate occurred.  Unclear is how the director’s reputation will suffer.  “That is not the case — although we didn’t get along, that’s a fact,” von Trier told Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. “On the other hand, she delivered one of the greatest-ever performances in my movies.”

Twiggy Ramirez of Marilyn Manson

Accusation: Marilyn Manson bassist Twiggy Ramirez has been accused of rape and physical assault by Scarling singer Jessicka Addams.  The pair dated in the 90s, which is the period of the alleged episodes.

Fallout: Manson fired Twiggy from the group, citing a personal relationship with Addams.  No formal charges against the bassist.

Nelly

Accusation: The rapper was accused of raping a woman on his tour bus in October.  Nelly was arrested and booked on suspicious of second-degree rape.

Fallout: Nelly denied any wrongdoing, and his attorney called the accusations ‘clearly false’.  He was released from custody the same day.

photo: Markus Felix (CC 3.0)

Decapitated

Accusation: On September 9, 2017, members of the Polish extreme metal band were accused of kidnapping and raping a fan.  The woman alleged that all four members restrained her in their tour bus, then raped her.

Fallout: The band was arrested and detained in Spokane, Washington, where the alleged incident occurred.  They were forced to cancel their remaining tour dates, and hired an attorney who denied the charges.   “There is another side to this. We have witnesses that can testify to the fact that the accuser came to visit band of her own free will and left on good terms,” the band’s attorney stated.

The band is now awaiting trial, but firmly denies the charges.  “The band firmly refutes the allegations and are confident that once the facts and evidence have been seen and heard, they will be released and able to return home,” the group stated on Facebook.

The Gaslamp Killer

Accusation: The producer/DJ was accused of drugging and raping two women in Los Angeles.  He has firmly denied the charges.  The incident allegedly occurred in 2013.

“I would never drug a woman, and I would never put anyone in a situation where they were not in control, or take anything that they weren’t offering,” the Gaslamp Killer told Consequence of Sound.  “Consent is intimate, and has left room for people who were not present to wonder what happened.  In this case consent was between three people, in the form of an offer which I accepted.  Allegations carry a lot of weight on social media these days, and the bravery of women who expose their stories can create necessary dialogue that leads to real change.  But Chelsea’s version of this story is not true.”

Fallout: No formal charges have been announced, and The Gaslamp Killer strongly maintains his innocent.  He also reached out to the other person involved in the sexual encounter to help back his claims of innocent.  Despite the dispute, LA collective Low End Theory has parted ways with Gaslamp.