Ariel Pink Is Embroiled in a Lawsuit Involving Claims of Physical and Sexual Abuse

Image via Dustin Drew

BY Brock ThiessenPublished Jan 14, 2021

Ariel Pink's recent troubles have just gone from bad to worse, as news has now emerged that he's currently in a legal dispute with his ex-girlfriend who has accused him of both physical and sexual abuse.

While the case is a complex one, Pitchfork reports that Pink's ex-girlfriend Charlotte Ercoli Coe has an ongoing lawsuit against the artist (born Ariel Rosenberg). According to documents obtained by the publication, Pink had most recently attempted to file a restraining order against Coe, who is a former bandmate of Pink's, as well as a solo artist and video director.

On January 6 — the same day Pink was spotted at the Trump riots at the U.S. Capital — Los Angeles County Superior Court Commissioner Laura Cohen struck down Pink's request for the restraining order against Coe, initially made on August 10, 2020. According to Pitchfork, Pink had claimed Coe harassed him by "falsely claiming he was a sexual 'predator' and falsely claiming to mutual friends and to [Pink] that he committed sexual offenses almost three years ago for which she has threatened to report [Pink] to police authorities."

Pink added that Coe had "directly threatened" him and "attempted to blackmail him with false allegations of sexual misconduct to his record label and financial supporters, to the media, including Pitchfork and Variety, and to the general public."

The couple previously made headline back in 2017 after fans called out Pink for engaging in onstage antics involving Coe that many viewed as inappropriate.

As Pitchfork reports, in Coe's motion on October 14, 2020, to strike down Pink's restraining order, she claimed Pink "physically attacked" her during the 2017 incident. In the declaration, Coe also alleged that Pink "physically and mentally abused [her] during [their] relationship, including the 2017 incident at the San Francisco concert."

On November 2, Pink denied the bulk of Coe's various claims.

The latest development in the legal war between the pair found Cohen citing California's anti-SLAPP statute — legislation intended to stop people from filing frivolous lawsuits to keep people silent — in the motion striking down Pink's request for a civil harassment restraining order against Coe.

While Coe's lawyer refused to comment on the ongoing case, Pink's lawyer Thomas Mortimer told Pitchfork the following: "The pending matter is now on appeal and the subject of a separate lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court. It is [Pink's] position that the speech and communications at the heart of the case are not protected and [are] defamatory."

To read into the various detailed claims made by both parties, you can read the detailed Pitchfork article here.

As previously reported, Pink was recently dropped by his longtime label Mexican Summer following the controversy involving him being spotted at the Trump riots.

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