Bassnectar Seeks to Toss Sexual Abuse Suit, Claims Accusers Lied About Age

[Artaxerxes II]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/ba ... r-AA1tLJBG

Bassnectar has requested for the sexual abuse lawsuit filed against him three years ago to be dismissed, according to court documents obtained by Rolling stone.

Lawyers for the DJ, whose real name is Lorin Ashton, filed the motion earlier this week, stating that the three women who sued him had lied about their ages to "deceive" Ashton into thinking they were at least 18 years old. The motion also claimed discovery for the case had also confirmed their relationships with Ashton were consensual.

"To the contrary, the record demonstrates that the pursuit of a sexual relationship between the parties was instigated by Plaintiffs, each of whom was always free to continue it or end it," the suit said. "Eventually, Plaintiffs did just that when they decided to pursue other romantic relationships. Plaintiffs simply cannot prove that they were coerced or that they felt that they had no other choice but to engage in a sexual relationship with Defendant."

Alexis Bowling and Rachel Ramsbottom first sued Ashton in April of 2021, with Jenna Houston joining as a third plaintiff a month later. In the initial complaint, Bowling and Ramsbottom had alleged that Ashton had "solicited underage girls through various means," including through social media and fan club programs. They claimed that he offered tickets to his shows and had unprotected sex with them. They also alleged that he had them take sexually explicit photographs and that he was possession of child pornography. Houston shared similar allegations in an amended complaint a month later.

Regarding the child porn allegations, Ashton's motion stated that "Ramsbottom and Bowling rely on memory alone for their claims." It further claimed, "They have no corroborating evidence, admissible or otherwise, that they transmitted such images to Defendant or that he received them, and there is documentary evidence of their lies to him about their ages."

In documents filed in October, an attorney for the plaintiffs wrote that Ashton has "an inability to truthfully recount the facts and evidence adduced during discovery, as his Motion for Summary Judgment briefing is rife with easily disprovable falsehoods." The attorney wrote that Ashton's deposition suggested he knew the plaintiffs were below the age of 18.

Neither Ashton nor the plaintiffs' attorneys immediately responded to a request for comment.