Pop superstar Justin Bieber was accused of sexual assault earlier this month, which he firmly denied and posted receipts to support his statements. Now, following the initial June 20 accusation and the subsequent second accusation on June 21, Bieber is suing for a very large sum of money in a defamation suit.
Justin Bieber filed a $20 million defamation lawsuit after the sexual assault allegations, and the lawsuit (via THR) reports that Bieber filed the suit based on the argument that the allegations were fabricated to grab attention. Bieber is suing each for $10 million for compensatory damages and punitive damages.
The allegations of sexual assault were made by two anonymous social media users on Twitter, named in the lawsuit as "Danielle" and "Kadi." The Twitter accounted used by "Danielle" made the first allegations against Justin Bieber, stating that he assaulted her in 2014. The account has since been taken down.
"Kadi" posted afterward with a tweet saying "I believe Danielle," and then alleging a separate incident in 2015 with Justin Bieber. The "Kadi" account has not been taken down, nor has the tweet making the allegations. The lawsuit acknowledges that Bieber is "presently unaware of the true names" of his accusers and so is suing them "by fictitious names."
In the lawsuit filed on June 25, Justin Bieber stated that the "outrageous lies" that were posted on social media accused him of sexual assaults at times and locations that are "provably fabricated" and "factually impossible," as proved by "indisputable documentary evidence" and the admissions of "Danielle" and "Kadi" on social media. According to the suit, Bieber claims that his two accusers are attempting to "capitalize on the climate of fear permeating the entertainment industry" where it is "open season" for anybody to make any claim.
That said, the lawsuit also states that Justin Bieber believes every claim of sexual assault deserves to be taken seriously, but these allegations are "factually impossible" and an "elaborate hoax." Although the $20 million lawsuit is definitely a huge development regarding the accusations against Bieber, his claims of being able to disprove the allegations from "Danielle" and "Kadi" aren't new.
On June 21, Justin Bieber began posting receipts on Twitter to address the accusations made against him, including that he and then-girlfriend Selena Gomez didn't stay at the hotel where "Danielle" claimed she was assaulted, and said that he confirmed with the regional manager at the Four Seasons in question that he was not a guest at the time when the assault allegedly happened.
According to Justin Bieber on social media, he decided to speak out "right away" out of respect to the "many victims who deal with these issues" of sexual assault on a daily basis. Only time will tell how the lawsuit will progress and if more information about the various claims will come to light.
Although Justin Bieber is best known for his music career, he was also showcased in a docu-series earlier this year. Called Justin Bieber: Seasons, the series released as a YouTube Original and broke a YouTube record for viewership. He was reportedly uncomfortable watching part of the series.
