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Electronic dance music DJ Bassnectar has been sued for allegedly sexually abusing underage girls in a lawsuit filed Monday. Bassnectar, 43, is accused of soliciting child pornography and grooming, sexually victimizing, and sex trafficking minors in his mid-30s. Bassnectar’s legal name is Lorin Ashton.
Two women filed the lawsuit and accused Bassnectar of targeting and engaging in commercial sex acts with them between 2012 and 2016. The lawsuit claimed that Bassnectar used his social media platform and fame to exploit minors for his sexual gain. The lawsuit stated that people associated with the DJ joked he would “have to find a date at a high school dance.” Companies Amorphous Music Inc., Bassnectar Touring Inc., Interactive Giving Fund, Red Light Management, and C3 Presents LLC are also named as defendants in the lawsuit.
In response to the lawsuit, Bassnectar’s attorney Mitchell Schuster said in a statement to USA TODAY, “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.”
The two women claim that Bassnectar would find fans on Twitter and create a relationship with them by asking about their lives and giving advice via text and email. The women alleged that the DJ knew the women were underage. The lawsuit continued stating Bassnectar would “encourage them to watch ‘American Beauty,’ a movie about an older man having a relationship with a young girl.”
The lawsuit claims that he offered free tickets and travel for his victims. The women claim that he commanded sex and prohibited condoms. He also allegedly paid the underage girls between $300 and $1,600. The two women claim that he used his status to pressure the minors to keep their arrangement a secret.
This is not the first time Bassnectar has faced sexual abuse allegations. Last year, Bassnectar was accused of sexual violations with underage girls. Without directly acknowledging the online accusations on July 3, 2020, Bassnectar said he was taking a break from his career. He added that he wanted to take “responsibility and accountability.”
Attorney Brain Kent, who is representing the two women, stated, “we have seen a true reckoning in recent years of powerful individuals and institutions finally being held to account for years of sexual abuse against adults and minors. But we have only begun to scratch the surface of how these influential figures and entities can go on for years committing abuses without being held responsible.”
Kent continued, “this lawsuit is about seeking justice not just against Bassnectar but against the corporations that cooperate in and help facilitate the abuses he is alleged to have committed.”
