Jason Derulo accuser can’t revive harassment claims in LA, judge rules

A woman who claims Jason Derulo sexually intimidated and verbally abused After signing her to a recording contract in 2021, she is unable to revive her lawsuit in California rejected due to a technical problem Last April, a judge ruled on Monday.

During a hearing Friday, an attorney for aspiring singer Emaza Gibson tried unsuccessfully to overturn the earlier ruling, which found that Gibson had no standing in California because she had signed artist agreements with clauses requiring all legal disputes to be limited to the courts of New York. . Gibson’s attorney claimed in recent filings that his efforts to refile the case in Manhattan led him to conclude that it was “impossible” for his client to pursue her sexual harassment, intimidation and retaliation claims there.

“Plaintiff’s inability to litigate her claims in the forum specified in the contract voids the entire forum selection clause,” attorney Ron Zambrano wrote to the court ahead of Friday’s hearing. He claimed that because Gibson is not a citizen of New York, she cannot bring five of her nine claims there. For that reason, “enforcement of the forum selection clause is unreasonable and unfair,” he wrote.

During Friday’s hearing, Zambrano argued that Gibson had a California-based employment relationship with Derulo “outside” of her artist agreements and therefore had the right to pursue alleged violations of California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, known as FEHA. “I will die on this hill,” Zambrano told the court during the hearing. The judge said he had no plans to “issue death certificates” and kept the debate going.

“There is no employment relationship,” Derulo’s lawyer Camilo Echavarria countered. “These were just contracts and agreements to produce a record for Ms. Gibson. It wasn’t to employ her in some way. It was just to make a recording, as they always do in the industry.

The judge ultimately sided with Derulo. But at Zambrano’s request, he agreed to change the language of his preliminary ruling and be “more sensitive” to whether there might have been an employment relationship, in case a New York judge were to allow Gibson to pursue a California File a FEHA claim. New York. “I don’t see why labor issues couldn’t be tried in New York,” Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kerry Bensinger said from the bench on Friday.

In her lawsuit filed last year, Gibson alleged that Derulo lured her into what seemed like a dream record deal and then pressured her to party while allegedly making “explicit” demands for sex. She claimed he stopped working with her and breached their contract when she rejected his advances. She claims her deal was terminated without explanation on September 6, 2022.

“This is extremely devastating to me. This is something I always wanted to do since I was a little girl. Jason was one of my favorite artists on the pop scene. I accept this wonderful offer only to find out that the person I looked up to would guide me through such a traumatic situation,” Gibson previously said. Rolling stone.

“We are fully committed to defending Jason’s innocence against these blatantly false and unsubstantiated claims. If these false charges are refiled in New York, we are confident that the New York court will ultimately dismiss the case and prove Jason’s innocence. The court was right to dismiss the California lawsuit,” Derulo’s legal team said in a statement Rolling stone last April.

In a video statement on his website Instagram after Gibson first filed her lawsuit, Derulo called the claims “completely false and hurtful.” The musician said he was “against all forms of harassment” and remained “committed to supporting people pursuing their dreams.”

“I have always strived to live my life in a way that has a positive impact, and that is why I sit here before you, deeply offended by these defamatory claims,” he said.