All Time Low have filed a libel lawsuit against the people who have claimed on social media that the group sexually harassed or assaulted teen fans.
The band issued a statement last year denying all allegations, writing: “The allegations being brought against us are absolutely and unequivocally false.
“When a TikTok video gained traction a few weeks ago alluding to inappropriate behaviour within our camp, we chose not to respond because of the glaring inconsistencies in the story and the apparent reluctance to mention us by name,” the statement continued.
“We felt that a response would have elevated and escalated an outright lie and in doing so robbed actual victims of abuse of their very real and very important collective voice. We believe victims. We stand with victims. We have only ever wanted to cultivate and nurture a culture around our show and band that is welcoming, healthy, and safe.”
According to Rolling Stone, the new filing claims that All Time Low have no idea who the online accusers are, leaving them “no choice but to mobilise and utilise the civil court system to identify the culprits, prove that the defamatory statements are false, and seek justice”.
“The purpose of the lawsuit is to establish the unambiguous truth and quash these malicious lies so that they won’t be repeated in the future,” the complaint continues.
A statement from the four of us. pic.twitter.com/tazxZAKOkr
— All Time Low (@AllTimeLow) October 25, 2021
The band members plan to “utilise discovery including subpoenas to uncover the identities of those that defamed them”, with the lawsuit adding: “Regrettably, this is the only course remaining to properly restore their reputations and repair the damage to their business. [The band] will then donate any proceeds derived from this litigation to charities that support victims of sexual abuse.”
A video on TikTok went viral in October in which a woman said a “famous pop-punk band” had “let [her] on their tour bus when [she] was 13”. In the video’s comments, the woman said the band “tried to take my bra for their nasty collection [and] offered me beers”. The TikTok user is identified in the new paperwork as Doe 1.
A different woman, going by the name @ATLstatement, then accused guitarist Jack Barakat of sexual abuse that began in 2011, when she was 15 years old, during the band’s tour behind their fourth studio album ‘Dirty Work’. “I had no idea that a week after my fifteenth birthday, my hero would take advantage of me,” she wrote.
The band claim in the lawsuit that the woman, referred to as Doe 2, “maliciously” posted the “elaborate and completely fabricated story” knowing it was false.
Another Twitter user, identified as Doe 3, then posted a tweet claiming to have counted 97 allegations against the band: “If 97 people aren’t enough then I don’t know what to tell you.”
The lawsuit counters this, adding: “Without any evidence whatsoever, Doe 3 egregiously and falsely claimed that ‘97 allegations’ had been made against the band, an accusation that spread like wildfire on the Internet.”
The band are seeking real and punitive damages, as well as an injunction ordering the Doe defendants to remove any defamatory posts.
“Not only have the reputations of the band and its members been unfairly tarnished, but the band has also lost business opportunities and suffered cancellation of scheduled events,” the new lawsuit states.
“All Time Low has worked hard for two decades to earn its large fan base and would prefer to continue to focus on its music rather than litigate. However, these false and salacious accusations have harmed the band, its members and their families, and the business of All Time Low.”