CW: Sexual assault.
Paul Oakenfold has been accused of sexual assault and is being sued by his former personal assistant. The trance DJ and electronic music producer has since denied the allegations.
According to Deadline, a lawsuit was filed last Friday (2 June) in LA Superior Court by a 24-year old woman who formerly worked for New Frequency Management, the company that manages Oakenfold. According to the court filing, during the time she worked as a personal assistant to Oakenfold, he allegedly exposed himself and masturbated in front of her on multiple occasions starting from her first day on the job in October 2022.
After reporting the incidents to management, the plaintiff – who is only identified as Jane Doe – said she was presented with a nondisclosure agreement by the company’s CEO Paul Stepanek. When she didn’t sign the NDA immediately she was allegedly prevented from returning to work until she signed it. The court papers detail that after she signed the NDA she was allowed to return to work for the management company and no longer work with Oakenfold but claims that her hours were significantly reduced. Her employment was then terminated in March of this year allegedly due to “lack of work”.
The lawsuit filed by Oakenfold’s former personal assistant is seeking in excess of $25,000 in damages for five claims of labour violation linked to harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination.
Following the allegations, Oakenfold took to social media last night (5 June) to share a post in which he categorically denies the accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct.
If you have been affected by any issues in this story: The UK helpline for those impacted by sexual violence or abuse of any kind is 0808 802 9999. In the US, the national sexual assault hotline is 1 (800) 656 4673. A 24-hour support service can be accessed via RAINN.
There’s also the AFEM Sexual Harassment helpline on 0800 030 5182 (outside the UK: +44 800 030 5182). International helplines can be found here.
