On November 8, Michael Garfinkel was interviewed by Rolling Stone about the dismissal of All Time Low’s defamation and libel lawsuit. The following is an excerpt:
In a new court filing obtained by Rolling Stone, the band’s lawyer is asking the court to drop the case without prejudice, meaning the pop-punk quartet reserves the right to revive the action in the future. The complaint was first filed in 2022 against at least three anonymous defendants who claimed in social media posts that the group sexually harassed or assaulted teen fans.
According to a new statement from the band’s lawyer, a lengthy probe involving subpoenas and court orders determined that Doe 2 was actually multiple people who “spun an elaborate, fabricated story posing as a fan who incredibly and falsely claimed to have traveled with the band for more than 10 years.”
“There is no such person and no such incidents occurred. Rather, an investigation revealed that Doe 2 was an orchestrated smear campaign by multiple individuals posing as a fake fan. The investigations identified individuals behind the anonymous post who went to great lengths to hide their identities,” lawyer Michael B. Garfinkel of Venable LLP said Friday in the statement to Rolling Stone. “All Time Low has chosen to handle the matter privately and protect the identities of those behind Doe 2, instead of pursuing further litigation at this time.”
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