In a statement shared with Pitchfork, one of Jane Doe's attorneys, Micha Star Liberty, called the lawsuit “a vital step toward justice, underscoring the need to protect the rights of those who have been exploited.”
Another of Doe's attorneys, Helene M. Weiss, added: “Our client deserves justice and hopes that this trial can serve as a catalyst to end the defendant's repeated victimization of women once and for all. We cannot allow survivors of sexual abuse to be silenced based on image.”
Diplo's attorney, Bryan J. Freedman, said in a statement to Vanity fair, “Time after time, Wes has been targeted by a group of unscrupulous individuals and their unscrupulous lawyers, weaving lies in search of a worthless payday.” He continued, “This suit seems to be more of the same, so we have no reason to think this one will end any differently than all the others.”
Last year, a California woman named Shelly Auguste filed a police report with the Los Angeles Police Department against Diplo, alleging that the musician distributed nude photos of her without permission. According Vanity fairthe Los Angeles city attorney's office said “the matter has been determined not to be prosecuted.”
Auguste has been involved in a legal dispute with Diplo since 2020 and has twice accused him of distributing revenge porn. Diplo was also not charged criminally on the first allegation of retaliatory porn distribution.
Auguste also sued Diplo for sexual assault, defamation and more. She filed her lawsuit in 2021, prompting Diplo to deny her claims. Civil trial scheduled for January 2025, approx Vanity fair.
Diplo, in turn, is suing Auguste for stalking, trespassing and distribution of private material. The lawsuit, filed by Diplo in April 2021, alleges Auguste is “dangerously unstable” and claims she “made relentless attempts to contact him” after their relationship ended, including through fake social media accounts.
In a statement shared with Pitchfork last year, Bryan J. Freedman said, “For over three years, Shelly Auguste has orchestrated an ongoing smear campaign against Wes—and this is more of the same.”
Friedman added, “Now, Madame Auguste is at it again. But Wes will stand up for himself and, as he has every time Ms. Auguste has defamed, harassed and attacked him and his family, he will win.”
If you experience sexual harassment, you can report it to the authorities at your work, school, or local law enforcement. For more information, go to https://www.rainn.org/ThatsHarassment
