Elon Musk's playground Twitter has been ordered to cede "identifying information" for Jane Doe 2, an anonymous user who accused All Time Low guitarist Jack Barakat of sexual assault through the social media platform last October.
The Baltimore pop-punk band denied the allegations, adding that they planned to "utilize discovery including subpoenas to uncover the identifies of those that defamed them." In February of this year, they went on to file a libel suit to identify the anonymous accusers. While Twitter had initially fought the subpoena as a matter of internal policy, a Los Angeles judge has sided with the band and given the social media company 10 days to cough up the information that will reveal Doe 2's identity under court order.
"Plaintiffs cannot proceed with litigation without identifying Doe 2," Judge Daniel S. Murphy wrote in his new ruling [via Rolling Stone]. Murphy explained that, while the right to publish anonymously is protected by the First Amendment, there's an exception in the case of defamation; those who file "legally sufficient" lawsuits thus have the right to know the identity of alleged defamers.
The following article contains potentially triggering material relating to sexual assault and violence. If you believe you have experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct and are looking for support, consult the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime to find resources in your area.
All Time Low's lawsuit, in which Barakat, vocalist Alex Gaskarth, bassist Zack Merrick and drummer Rian Dawson are all named as plaintiffs, addresses three Jane Does.
In a viral TikTok, Doe 1 one alleged that "a famous pop punk band" — which she not-so-subtly hinted as All Time Low by referring to several of their song titles — had let her on their tour bus when she was 13 years old. She added in the comments section that they "tried to take my bra for their nasty collection [and] offered me beers." Again, All Time Low denied these allegations, arguing that there were "glaring inconsistencies" in Doe 1's story.
After the TikTok began circulating that, Doe 2 used the Twitter handle @ATLstatement to accuse Barakat of sexual abuse that allegedly began in 2011 — when they were 15 and the guitarist was 22. The band described the claim as an "elaborate and completely fabricated story."
Doe 3 proceeded to post a tweet that claimed a count of 97 allegations against All Time Low: "If 97 people aren't enough then I don't know what to tell you." The court documents allege that this accusation was made "without any evidence whatsoever." The band's legal council added, "Doe 3 egregiously and falsely claimed that '97 allegations' had been made against the band, an accusation that spread like wildfire on the Internet."
All Time Low had been on the road when the allegations surfaced. In the aftermath, their supporting acts, Meet Me @ the Altar and nothing, nowhere., both dropped off the tour.
The Baltimore pop-punk band denied the allegations, adding that they planned to "utilize discovery including subpoenas to uncover the identifies of those that defamed them." In February of this year, they went on to file a libel suit to identify the anonymous accusers. While Twitter had initially fought the subpoena as a matter of internal policy, a Los Angeles judge has sided with the band and given the social media company 10 days to cough up the information that will reveal Doe 2's identity under court order.
"Plaintiffs cannot proceed with litigation without identifying Doe 2," Judge Daniel S. Murphy wrote in his new ruling [via Rolling Stone]. Murphy explained that, while the right to publish anonymously is protected by the First Amendment, there's an exception in the case of defamation; those who file "legally sufficient" lawsuits thus have the right to know the identity of alleged defamers.
The following article contains potentially triggering material relating to sexual assault and violence. If you believe you have experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct and are looking for support, consult the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime to find resources in your area.
All Time Low's lawsuit, in which Barakat, vocalist Alex Gaskarth, bassist Zack Merrick and drummer Rian Dawson are all named as plaintiffs, addresses three Jane Does.
In a viral TikTok, Doe 1 one alleged that "a famous pop punk band" — which she not-so-subtly hinted as All Time Low by referring to several of their song titles — had let her on their tour bus when she was 13 years old. She added in the comments section that they "tried to take my bra for their nasty collection [and] offered me beers." Again, All Time Low denied these allegations, arguing that there were "glaring inconsistencies" in Doe 1's story.
After the TikTok began circulating that, Doe 2 used the Twitter handle @ATLstatement to accuse Barakat of sexual abuse that allegedly began in 2011 — when they were 15 and the guitarist was 22. The band described the claim as an "elaborate and completely fabricated story."
Doe 3 proceeded to post a tweet that claimed a count of 97 allegations against All Time Low: "If 97 people aren't enough then I don't know what to tell you." The court documents allege that this accusation was made "without any evidence whatsoever." The band's legal council added, "Doe 3 egregiously and falsely claimed that '97 allegations' had been made against the band, an accusation that spread like wildfire on the Internet."
All Time Low had been on the road when the allegations surfaced. In the aftermath, their supporting acts, Meet Me @ the Altar and nothing, nowhere., both dropped off the tour.
