1 week Ago By Alex West
All Time Low, famed pop punk band , are moving on from their multi-year libel litigation, claiming their investigation proved their innocence. Online allegations of sexual assault surfaced against band member Jack Barakat in 2022 which the group, who linked themselves as an entity in the libel case, denied in full. As a result, they opened a libel lawsuit , claiming "these accusations are baseless and untrue.
Indeed, many have since been recanted or debunked. However, the anonymous, viral nature of the Internet has allowed certain of these false statements to proliferate with abandon and with no foundation in fact," according to documents obtained by the Mirror. After years of an investigation and discovery process, the band claimed that one of the defendants, Doe 2, was a group of individuals rather than a fan.
A representative for the band stated that they plan to move forward in private to "protect the identities of those behind Doe 2" who they claim orchestrated a "smear campaign." Music PR expert weighs in on possibility of a Fleetwood Mac reunion: 'Time heals most wounds' Grateful Dead founder and bassist Phil Lesh dead at 84 Zendaya channels Cher's 1972 look in daring cut-out gown at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame All Time Low's lawyer, Michael B. Garfinkel told Rolling Stone : “There is no such person and no such incidents occurred.
Rather, an investigation revealed that Doe 2 was an orchestrated smear campaign by multiple individuals posing as a fake fan. The investigations identified individuals behind the anonymous post who went to great lengths to hide their identities. All Time Low has chosen to handle the matter privately and protect the identities of those behind Doe 2, instead of pursuing further litigation at this time.
” During their discovery process, the identity of Doe 2 was consistently a roadblock for the band as they refuted the claims made by Doe 1 and Doe 3 early on. As Doe 2 posted their lengthy allegation on X, formerly known as Twitter, off of a burner account, the band spent considerable time working with the social media network to identify the individual through a subpoena. However, it proved difficult as the user's data was allegedly protected by companies in Panama, including PacketHub and NordVPN.
As the band noted in a case management statement from May 2024 Panama "does not permit any civil discovery in litigation." Earlier this year, "The State Department informed [All Time Low] that it may take up to one year for [the band] to obtain the identifying information they seek to be able to serve Defendants with their Complaint." Several months later, on Nov.
8, the band filed to dismiss the case, claiming their investigation concluded with information on the alleged identities of the individuals behind the account. They requested that the libel case be dismissed "without prejudice," meaning it can be reopened later. Their attorney noted: “The investigation proved what All Time Low knew all along – the allegations in the posts are completely and utterly false.
Nonetheless, considerable time and legal resources were required to fully reassure All Time Low’s business and creative partners who put their trust in the band that the debunked claims were irresponsible and without merit.” As for Doe 1 and Doe 3, their allegations were made on personal and public social media accounts, allowing the band to directly refute their points. According to the band's original complaint, Doe 1 posted a video which allegedly "gave easily solved clues and then confirmed the identity when other users commented that she was referring to the Band.
" Doe 1 posted the video of a young woman, believed to be Doe 1, stating, “Me telling everyone about how a famous pop punk band let me on their tour bus when I was 13 and people tell me how nice it was of them” and “Spent all day crying because people’s favourite pop punk bad are pedos." The individual claimed that they were taken onto the bus after a show, but "were too young for phones" and did not have physical or digital proof of the interaction. Doe 1's accusations were allegedly debunked by a user on X.
“I went with her to this concert and this never happened...
and she and her friend (my cousin) had phones..they both had Instagram before me.
..” they wrote, including a photo of them together allegedly from the concert holding a cellphone.
Doe 1 later posted that the statements were made "to be petty towards a peer." Doe 3 claimed on X that there were "97 allegations" against the band. However, according to the court documents, "this happened despite Doe 3 admitting, when pressed, that the 97 number was fictitious, she had no personal knowledge of any allegations and her use of the term 'assault' was so loosely defined as to include innocuous comments purportedly made by a band member years ago from the stage during a concert.
" In a joint statement, the band said: "This has been a challenging time for our band as we fought to clear and debunk these false and damaging online rumors. We remain deeply grateful for those who have supported us throughout this legal process, including our fans, our peers, and collaborators. With this case dismissed, we remain committed to continuing to foster a healthy, safe environment both at our concerts and within our fan community, and we look forward to the next chapter of All Time Low.
” No criminal charges nor civil lawsuits were brought against Jack Barakat or any of the members of All Time Low. The Mirror contacted representatives for All Time Low for comment. DAILY NEWSLETTER: Sign up here to get the latest news and updates from the Mirror US straight to your inbox with our FREE newsletter.
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