Pop Culture

Justin Bieber files $20M defamation lawsuit against sexual assault accusers

WarningThis article may be triggering for some readers. Please read at your own discretion.

Less than a week after being accused of sexual assault by two social media users, Justin Bieber has taken legal action against his accusers.

In a defamation lawsuit filed on June 25 against the two Jane Does ⁠— who are known only by their Twitter handles, @danielleglvn (Danielle) and @ItsnotKadi (Kadi) — Bieber’s attorneys have echoed his client’s statement that the allegations are “factually impossible,” adding that they can both be “disproven by indisputable documentary evidence and the individuals’ own admissions,” according to a legal document obtained by People on Friday.

In a since-deleted tweet from June 20, Danielle — whose account no longer exists — claimed she had met Bieber after one of his surprise performances at a SXSW show in Austin, Texas, on the evening of March 9, 2014. She alleged that he invited her and her friends to a Four Seasons hotel and assaulted her. She said she was 21 at the time and that Bieber was 20.

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In support of Danielle’s allegation, Kadi took to Twitter on Sunday, June 21, claiming she was “a victim of sexual assault by Justin Bieber too.” She accused Bieber, now 26, of sexually assaulting her at the Langham Hotel in New York City in the early morning hours of May 5, 2015.

Though the Sorry singer has not yet publicly addressed Kadi’s accusations, he claimed Danielle’s were “factually impossible” in a string of tweets last week, adding that there was “no truth” to her story and saying he was “never present” at the Four Seasons hotel in Austin but instead with his then-girlfriend, Selena Gomez.

Similar to Bieber’s Twitter defence last Sunday, the legal filing also claims that at the time of the first alleged assault, the Canadian musician was with Gomez at the SXSW event — where he dedicated a song to the former Disney star.

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In the legal complaint, it is stated that Bieber and Gomez were photographed leaving the venue, Banger’s Sausage House and Beer Garden, together. The couple supposedly stayed at an Airbnb “along with several friends” on that night — March 9, 2014.

As Bieber also tweeted last weekend, the filing includes “details and receipts of the rental property where Bieber, Gomez and friends stayed” as well as for the Westin Hotel in Austin the following evening, as reported by People.

As a result, Bieber’s lawyers suggest that Danielle’s allegations “are contradicted by her own prior written statements” and “are supported only by falsified or faked texts.”

The document adds: “Danielle fabricated her sexual encounter with Bieber at the Four Seasons Hotel because it was publicly reported that Bieber had dinner at the Four Seasons Restaurant on March 10, 2014 and presumed that Bieber was at the hotel because of the public reports of him dining at the restaurant. However, even though Bieber went to the restaurant, he did not stay at the Four Seasons Hotel.”

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Not only did Bieber share screenshots of a number of photos, articles, emails and hotel/Airbnb receipts on Twitter, but he noted that he was seen by another social media user at the Four Seasons restaurant on March 10. However, he denied staying at the hotel.

“I never stayed at the Four Seasons on the 9th or the 10th,” he wrote on the social media platform alongside a picture of a tweet by the social media user who claimed to have seen him at the restaurant.

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“There are multiple witnesses and documentary evidence to dispute Danielle’s malicious lie,” the filing reads before labelling Kadi’s accusation as “likewise factually impossible.”

“Her social media post and allegations are a complete fabrication, an elaborate hoax,” the complaint adds before claiming Kadi is a “superfan,” or “Belieber,” who is “desperate to meet (Bieber) and desperate for his attention and for fame.”

Bieber’s legal team backs that claim by noting a pinned tweet on Kadi’s account that suggests she wants to be a “star.”

“I wanna star in a Netflix series! Twitter, do ur thing,” the 2018 post reads.

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Because of the mere few hours between Danielle’s and Kadi’s allegations on social media, the attorneys then suggest that Kadi “knew and had the details” of Danielle’s tweet “prior to its release,” claiming that she “had her accusation ready to release in conjunction” with it.

While Kadi accused Bieber of assaulting her in a New York City hotel room on May 5, 2015 at 2:30 a.m., the complaint says that Bieber was “actually at the Met Gala after-party with dozens of witnesses” at the time. They later described the allegation as “outlandish.”

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The filing continues: “Kadi, as an apparent superfan, may have waited outside his hotel at times, and like other fans, may have managed a fan photograph with him, but that is where any reality of her story ends, and her false, defamatory statements begin.”

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Bieber’s attorneys proceed to quote a number of tweets from Kadi, in which she wrote she had never met Bieber before, including one, which, according to People, read: “@justinbieber … you’re so cute, I love you! I’ll pay you to rape me, OK?”

In response to Kadi’s claims, a number of Bieber fans shared screenshots of what appear to be since-deleted tweets from Kadi praising the Intentions hit-maker that were allegedly posted after May 5, 2015.

“Whenever I meet you, I’m gonna ask you to sing ‘Favorite Girl’ for me, @justinbieber, cuz it’s my dream and goals,” Kadi appeared to have tweeted on May 30, 2015 — more than three weeks after the alleged assault.

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In another Twitter screenshot — which omits the date of publication — a post that appears to have originated from Kadi’s account reads: “I swear if we don’t meet, I’ll find you and f—k you, @justinbieber.”

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“The detailed narrative and Defamatory Kadi Accusations are fabricated malicious lies,” the filing continues. “Bieber did not sexually assault Kadi, or anyone else, in a hotel room in New York, on the night of May 4, 2015, early AM of May 5, 2015.”

In response to backlash from angered Beliebers, Kadi took to Twitter again on June 23.

“All the proof and evidence is not for me to show y’all so why should I bother? My lawyer gets those nobody else,” she wrote.

“‘Pls say you’re lying,’” Kadi wrote in a tweet the day earlier, pretending to quote some of Bieber’s fans asking her to silence herself.

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“No,” she added. “I won’t say any lie. I stand by my words. It happened and I won’t let you Beliebers bully me into denying it. PS: I’m not scared of any lawsuits.”

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Unlike Danielle’s allegation of sexual assault, Bieber has not publicly addressed Kadi’s as of this writing.

Global News has reached out to one of the musician’s representatives seeking further comment regarding the two allegations.

Gomez has not publicly addressed either of the allegations against Bieber, his whereabouts on March 9 and 10, 2014 or whether she was with him at the time the purported assault against Danielle took place.

Canadian singer Justin Bieber attends the ceremony honouring Universal Music Group CEO Sir Lucian Grainge with the 2,685th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in Hollywood, Calif., on Jan. 23, 2020.


Canadian singer Justin Bieber attends the ceremony honouring Universal Music Group CEO Sir Lucian Grainge with the 2,685th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in Hollywood, Calif., on Jan. 23, 2020.


Etienne Laurent / EPA

Global News has also reached out to the Twitter account @ItsnotKadi for comment, however, because the @danielleglvn Twitter account no longer exists, we were unable contact Danielle.

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Neither of the accusers have publicly commented on the lawsuit, as of this writing.

Additionally, Global News has reached out to a representative of the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin.

Read more:
Justin Bieber denies 2014 sexual assault allegation, says it’s ‘factually impossible’

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.

Are you or someone you know experiencing abuse? Visit the Department of Justice’s Victim Services Directory for a list of support services in your area.

Women, trans and non-binary people can find an additional list of resources here.

adam.wallis@globalnews.ca

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© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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