Shelly Auguste filed a police report against Diplo with the Los Angeles Police Department in August, according to Pitchfork. In this report, Auguste accused the artist of allegedly distributing nude photographs of her without her consent. Subsequently, the LAPD forwarded her case to the Los Angeles city attorney’s office for review, a process initiated in November.
Auguste has been engaged in a legal battle with Diplo, whose real name is Thomas Wesley Pentz, since 2020. Initially, she claimed that Diplo recorded and disseminated sexually explicit videos of her without her authorization, and also allegedly transmitted a sexually transmitted infection to her.
In her most recent legal action against the prominent producer, Auguste has brought forth a multitude of charges. These include allegations of intrusion of private affairs, sexual battery, gender violence, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, assault, fraud, defamation, and violations of the Ralph Civil Rights Act and the Tom Bane Civil Rights Act.
In 2020, Auguste sought a restraining order against Diplo, alleging he shared explicit images of her as “revenge porn” to shame her and dissuade other women from stepping forward. Later that year, she claimed Diplo engaged a private investigator following an argument between them. On Twitter, Auguste disclosed the investigator’s unsettling knowledge about her and her family’s addresses, workplaces, and even her parents’ workplaces, framing this revelation as a potential threat that could alarm most people.
Auguste conveyed to Pitchfork,
I think it’s time the music industry stops enabling the perpetual abuse that occurs. I have been silenced for far too long. I hope that with this restraining order I can finally gain peace and protection. I hope that with the criminal investigation, the justice system gets it right this time.”
Despite Diplo‘s request for a temporary restraining order being denied by the Superior Court of California on August 24, the court found insufficient evidence of articulated harassment in the petition, leading to the decision against issuing emergency temporary orders.
The civil trial is scheduled to commence in April 2024.
Follow Stage Hoppers
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | TikTok | Spotify | Home