On Thursday, June 25, pop star Justin Bieber filed a $20 million lawsuit against two women who recently accused him of sexual assault on social media. Per Pitchfork, Bieber’s suit claims that the women “fraudulently schemed to seek attention and fame by maliciously posting despicable, blatantly false, fabricated, defamatory accusations that Justin Bieber engaged in sexual assault.†He goes on to claim in the suit that “it is abundantly clear that these two individuals are trying to capitalize on the climate of fear permeating the entertainment industry.â€
On June 20, two women alleged that Bieber sexually assaulted them between 2014-2015. A woman identified as Danielle posted about her experience with at an Austin music event on Twitter, alleging that Bieber sexually assaulted her in a Four Seasons hotel in March of 2014. “Justin had made me agree to not say anything to anyone, or I can get in serious legal trouble,†said Danielle. “He then asked me to join him in bed. That’s when I asked myself, How in the world is this normal?†On the same day, a woman identified as Kadi claimed that Bieber’s bodyguard, Mikey invited her up to his hotel room after a New York City meet-and-greet in May 2015, and sexually assaulted her. “I asked him to stop,†said Kadi in her post, “and continued to say that I cannot have sex with anyone prior to marriage.†Since Kadi’s post, several contradicting tweets about her relationship with Bieber have resurfaced from her Twitter account.
Bieber has vehemently denied both Danielle and Kadi’s allegations, claiming that he has “indisputable documentary evidence†to prove that the plaintiffs’ claims are “outrageous, fabricated lies.†According to TMZ, Bieber is suing for defamation and the $20 million in damages is a total amount derived from both Danielle and Kadi owing $10 million each.