Chase Igliori, manager of Chicago emo act Into It. Over It., has resigned from his position following allegations that he sexually assaulted a colleague during a 2013 tour alongside Hellogoodbye.
In a public Facebook post, tour manager Hillary Corts wrote that Igliori touched and kissed her without consent, falling asleep on her in "a forced cuddle position" during a tour stop in New York that year.
She described the incident in her post as follows:
When we dropped our suitcases off during the daytime, Chase told me he'd sleep on the couch that evening and I could have his room. … Upon arrival at his apartment, Chase changed his mind and told me his roommates wake up early, so he was going to sleep in his bed with me. As a touring person who has shared many a bed with zero incident, I did not think much of it. Once we were in bed, however, he decided to put his hands on me. I told him "no" as he tried to get up my shirt, kissing my arms and shoulders. He did not stop so I rolled away from him, at which point he pinned me up against the wall. He fell asleep on top of me in what I can only describe as a forced cuddle position. I was freaked out and felt very helpless as I was trapped.
Corts wrote that upon telling Into It. Over It.'s Evan Weiss about Igliori's behaviour, he "brushed off the whole situation as 'not a big deal'" and told her "to shut up and 'play nice' if I still wanted to work for him."
Corts continued to work and report to Igliori for two more tours in fall 2013 and winter 2014, writing that during that time, he was "publicly slut-shaming me, as well as telling his bands and others in the industry not to work with me."
In response to the post, Igliori apologized for his actions and announced his immediate resignation from touring management company Middle West, which also represents Bon Iver, in the following statement provided to TrackRecord:
I am devastated to hear that my actions have caused such pain and anguish, and to those I've hurt by this, I am truly sorry. I have a different recollection of the events that took place, but that doesn't change the fact that anyone felt the way that they did, and for that I am deeply sorry. I have never sexually assaulted anyone, and I have always treated all people in my life with the upmost respect and as equals.
In regard to the professional allegations, I want to be clear, the reason for Hilary's termination(s) was completely unrelated to the incident cited and came with no attached shaming or slander. Hilary was employed by my artists for multiple years after the alleged incident and any departures or terminations were based solely on the decisions made by the artists alone for reasons unrelated to me. I have always treated all artists, touring crew, other industry professionals and employees with equal respect. I am absolutely horrified to hear that someone felt otherwise.
Weiss also shared a statement with TrackRecord, which can be found below. You can find Corts' complete post here.
In response to the post by Hilary Corts on November 25th. My deepest apologies to her herein.
Bottom line, this amounts to a failure on my part to navigate and understand a very severe situation that I had completely misunderstood and misread the seriousness of at the time.
Between the years of 2009 and 2015 (and again in 2016), long before Hilary was tour managing IIOI, Hilary wasn't just a crew member to me. She was a tour-mate, close friend and, for the years following this phone call, a personal confidante.
I deeply regret anything I may have said (or didn't say) that allowed Hilary to have felt silenced or dismissed. I had failed to view the circumstances through the lens of an employee/employer relationship and how that must have made her (or anyone else) feel in regards to her work in the music industry — especially in the IIOI touring party — and I am heartbroken. My deepest apologies to Hilary.
I should have asked more questions. I should have given Hilary the opportunity to be fully heard. As a white man, who is afforded every privilege (especially in the music industry), I will never truly understand the weight that people can feel without such privilege. I cannot even begin to attempt to relate. For Hilary to have left any conversation we had about the issue feeling powerless is not forgivable. I have learned immensely from this experience and this is a mistake I will never allow to happen again.
In terms of my delay in public response, unfortunately this situation has had (and will have) an effect on many more people than just those involved. Out of respect to those who I know, who are in no way connected to this incident but are connected to Hilary, Chase and myself, I had been working privately to gather as much information as I could.
Should anyone have any further questions they should always feel encouraged to contact me. I am always willing to open up a dialogue and have a conversation.
Thank you
In a public Facebook post, tour manager Hillary Corts wrote that Igliori touched and kissed her without consent, falling asleep on her in "a forced cuddle position" during a tour stop in New York that year.
She described the incident in her post as follows:
When we dropped our suitcases off during the daytime, Chase told me he'd sleep on the couch that evening and I could have his room. … Upon arrival at his apartment, Chase changed his mind and told me his roommates wake up early, so he was going to sleep in his bed with me. As a touring person who has shared many a bed with zero incident, I did not think much of it. Once we were in bed, however, he decided to put his hands on me. I told him "no" as he tried to get up my shirt, kissing my arms and shoulders. He did not stop so I rolled away from him, at which point he pinned me up against the wall. He fell asleep on top of me in what I can only describe as a forced cuddle position. I was freaked out and felt very helpless as I was trapped.
Corts wrote that upon telling Into It. Over It.'s Evan Weiss about Igliori's behaviour, he "brushed off the whole situation as 'not a big deal'" and told her "to shut up and 'play nice' if I still wanted to work for him."
Corts continued to work and report to Igliori for two more tours in fall 2013 and winter 2014, writing that during that time, he was "publicly slut-shaming me, as well as telling his bands and others in the industry not to work with me."
In response to the post, Igliori apologized for his actions and announced his immediate resignation from touring management company Middle West, which also represents Bon Iver, in the following statement provided to TrackRecord:
I am devastated to hear that my actions have caused such pain and anguish, and to those I've hurt by this, I am truly sorry. I have a different recollection of the events that took place, but that doesn't change the fact that anyone felt the way that they did, and for that I am deeply sorry. I have never sexually assaulted anyone, and I have always treated all people in my life with the upmost respect and as equals.
In regard to the professional allegations, I want to be clear, the reason for Hilary's termination(s) was completely unrelated to the incident cited and came with no attached shaming or slander. Hilary was employed by my artists for multiple years after the alleged incident and any departures or terminations were based solely on the decisions made by the artists alone for reasons unrelated to me. I have always treated all artists, touring crew, other industry professionals and employees with equal respect. I am absolutely horrified to hear that someone felt otherwise.
Weiss also shared a statement with TrackRecord, which can be found below. You can find Corts' complete post here.
In response to the post by Hilary Corts on November 25th. My deepest apologies to her herein.
Bottom line, this amounts to a failure on my part to navigate and understand a very severe situation that I had completely misunderstood and misread the seriousness of at the time.
Between the years of 2009 and 2015 (and again in 2016), long before Hilary was tour managing IIOI, Hilary wasn't just a crew member to me. She was a tour-mate, close friend and, for the years following this phone call, a personal confidante.
I deeply regret anything I may have said (or didn't say) that allowed Hilary to have felt silenced or dismissed. I had failed to view the circumstances through the lens of an employee/employer relationship and how that must have made her (or anyone else) feel in regards to her work in the music industry — especially in the IIOI touring party — and I am heartbroken. My deepest apologies to Hilary.
I should have asked more questions. I should have given Hilary the opportunity to be fully heard. As a white man, who is afforded every privilege (especially in the music industry), I will never truly understand the weight that people can feel without such privilege. I cannot even begin to attempt to relate. For Hilary to have left any conversation we had about the issue feeling powerless is not forgivable. I have learned immensely from this experience and this is a mistake I will never allow to happen again.
In terms of my delay in public response, unfortunately this situation has had (and will have) an effect on many more people than just those involved. Out of respect to those who I know, who are in no way connected to this incident but are connected to Hilary, Chase and myself, I had been working privately to gather as much information as I could.
Should anyone have any further questions they should always feel encouraged to contact me. I am always willing to open up a dialogue and have a conversation.
Thank you
