Bassnectar lawsuit alleges sexual abuse, sex trafficking of minors
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 17: DJ Bassnectar performs onstage during the Meadows Music and Arts Festival – Day 3 at Citi Field on September 17, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
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NASHVILLE (WKRN/NewsNation Now) — A lawsuit filed against Bassnectar claims the electronic dance music DJ sexually abused the two plaintiffs, who say the DJ also known as Lorin Ashton groomed them for commercial sex acts and got them to send him sexually explicit photos while they were underage.
The suit was filed Monday in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee on behalf of Rachel Ramsbottom and Alexis Bowling against Ashton, Amorphus Music, Bassnectar Touring, Redlight Management, C3 Presents LLC and Interactive Giving Fund. Both women are seeking “all available” compensatory and punitive damages from the defendants.
The lawsuit accuses Bassnectar of using “his power and influence to groom and ultimately sexually victimize underage girls.”
The women claim the popular DJ found them through Twitter and continued communicating with them across multiple platforms. He allegedly asked about personal details of their lives and offered advice, including encouraging the girls to watch American Beauty, a movie centered around a middle-aged man having a relationship with his high school daughter’s friend.
The lawsuit also claims Ashton paid the women for “sexual encounters.”
Bassnectar is accused of maintaining control over the plaintiffs through various rules including: keeping the relationship secret, not allowing the women to leave hotel rooms or answer the phone in his hotel room, and demanding they shower before Ashton had unprotected sex with them so that they were “clean.”
The EDM star allegedly required the girls to take sexually explicit photos of themselves and send them to him. These actions were done with Bassnectar knowing both girls were underage, the suit claims.
In July 2020, Bassnectar announced he was stepping back from his career to “take responsibility and accountability” after allegations of sexual abuse surfaced.
“The rumors you are hearing are untrue, but I realize some of my past actions have caused pain and I am deeply sorry,” he stated in a post on his Facebook page.
NewsNation Now reached out to Mitchell Schuster, Bassnectar’s attorney. Schuster denied all allegations, stating:
“These outrageous claims – which were clearly designed for the media, rather than for the courts – are completely without merit, and we eagerly look forward to proving so.”
Mitchell Schuster, Bassnectar’s attorney
NewsNation affiliate WKRN in Nashville contributed to this report
