More than a month has passed since a sex trafficking and child pornography lawsuit was filed against Bassnectar on behalf of two female plaintiffs. Two more women have joined them by coming forward with accusations similar to those presented in the initial version of the complaint.
Adding to the previous accounts of Rachel Ramsbottom and Alexis Bowling are testimonies by Jenna Houston and a woman only identified as Jane Doe #1. The lawsuit was amended on Friday after originally being filed by law firms Laffey, Bucci & Kent in Philadelphia and Miller Law Offices in Nashville on April 5th.
Houston alleges that she first came into contact with Bassnectar (real name Lorin Ashton) via Twitter direct message. According to the suit, he played a show in her home state of Pennsylvania in April 2012 and invited her to his room at the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia. Ashton allegedly had unprotected sex with Houston and gave her cash afterwards. Houston was 16 at the time; Ashton was 34.
The complaint states that over the next two years Ashton bought Houston plane tickets to visit him all over the U.S. through his own United Airlines account number. “During this time, Bassnectar knew that Jenna was a minor,” reads a passage. “Bassnectar knew her age as a result of booking her numerous flights across the country so that he could sexually abuse her.”
In addition to sexual abuse, Jane Doe #1 alleges that Ashton had her send him explicit photos of herself while she was underage. She also claims that Ashton instructed her to write a letter to her therapist about how she “feels trapped by her parents” in order to make them less protective over her during her relationship with him.
“This litigation is nothing more than a shameless attempt to profit off of the important social movement against sexual exploitation,” Ashton’s attorney said of the lawsuit. “Fabricated claims like these are an appalling disservice to actual victims, whom Lorin and the entire Bassnectar team unwaveringly support … We have every confidence that once these claims are actually tested under oath in a courtroom – rather than through the court of public opinion – Lorin will be fully exonerated … We will pursue every appropriate remedy to hold these opportunists accountable for the damage they have caused to Lorin’s life and reputation.”
Laffey, Bucci & Kent have encouraged Ashton’s alleged victims or individuals with additional information about his alleged illegal activity to call the firm’s hotline at (855) 382-3385. Anyone who would like to share personal accounts of sexual misconduct in the dance music industry can also email info@selector.news with guaranteed confidentiality.
