Rammstein singer Till Lindemann is taking legal action against a German news agency over its coverage of sexual misconduct allegations that have followed him since last year.
The controversy began in May 2023 when a female fan publicly accused Lindemann of misconduct, claiming that he had taken drugs at a pre-concert party in Lithuania.
Shelby Lynn, from Northern Ireland, told the BBC she was recruited and “groomed” for sex with the singer after a concert. Lynn claimed her drink was spiked on the show but said she was not sexually assaulted.
Lindemann has denied the allegations, with lawyers calling the accusations “unequivocally untrue”.
Despite Lindemann and Rammstein's strong denials of wrongdoing, the allegations led to serious consequences. Lindemann was fired by his publisher and the Berlin prosecutor's office launched an investigation.
The survey was completed and stopped in August 2023.
The prosecution said at the time, “Witness statements in press reports have not been confirmed by investigations.” After this announcement, Lindemann briefly commented on social media: “Thank you to all those who have been waiting impartially for the end of the investigation.”
In August 2024, Rammstein released a statement regarding the previous allegations:
“Since last summer we have been actively dealing with the accusations leveled against the band. We take this controversy very seriously, even if much of it is baseless and grossly exaggerated. It is an internal process that will accompany us for a long time to come. Each of us does this in our own way and deals with it differently,” the statement said.
The band also expressed their gratitude, saying, “At this point, we would especially like to thank our families and loved ones for their endless support and love. And they were hit hard by the allegations and the media's handling of them.”
“We thank our crew, our management, all our employees and everyone who has supported us and remained loyal on this journey. This huge stadium tour with this great show and this great stage has now come to an end after 135 concerts in 5 years with 6 million fans.”
“It's not Rammstein. It's not us. It's not you. The road continues.”
Lindemann has now filed a criminal complaint against officials of the German publication Der Spiegelwith an Aug. 2 press release from Lindemann's legal team revealing that it has filed a criminal complaint with the Hamburg Prosecutor's Office against Der Spiegel's executives, according to LoudWire.
The complaint alleges the publication's report included falsified documents and attempted fraud at trial.
