“Leave my king alone”: Diplo’s accuser being called out for harassment and defamation puts the internet in splits

Diplo, the American DJ and songwriter, has come under fire after a woman filed a police report against him with the Los Angeles Police Department for the second time, claiming that he distributed nude photographs without her consent.

Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of s*xual battery, harassment, and other explicit information. Reader's discretion is advised.

The accuser, Shelly Auguste, filed the new report in August. LAPD submitted the case to the Los Angeles city attorney’s office in November, and it's currently under review, as per Pitchfork. Meanwhile, Diplo’s attorney, Bryan J. Freedman, gave a statement to media outlets. He implied that the allegations were false, saying:

"For more than three years, Shelly Auguste has been orchestrating an ongoing smear campaign against Wes—and this is just more of the same. Now, Ms. Auguste is at it yet again. But Wes will defend himself, and, just as he has done every time Ms. Auguste has defamed, harassed, and attacked him and his family, he will win."

Fan speaks in favor of Diplo. (Images via Instagram/@hollywoodunlocked)

Netizens have given their opinions on the issue, speaking in favor of the producer, while others pointed out that there have been multiple dismissed cases against him with similar accusations. The initial lawsuit by Shelly was ruled in favor of the DJ, and the accuser had to pay $1.2 million in damages, as per NME.

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Diplo's accuser, Shelly Auguste, gets called out by his lawyer for 'smear campaign' against him

Thomas Wesley Pentz, professionally known as Diplo, has been accused of recording s*xual acts with women without their consent on multiple occasions, along with other harassment charges.

Shelly Auguste accused Diplo of s*xual battery, gender violence, intentional intrusion into private affairs, battery, assault, defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and fraud in August 2023.

The filings also mention violations of the Ralph Civil Rights Act and the Tom Bane Civil Rights Act. As per People, Bryan Freedman gave a statement to media outlets, calling out Shelly for orchestrating a "smear campaign" against his client. He added:

"Ms. Auguste has already been the subject of a restraining order, the violation of which resulted in an arbitrator’s ruling and a court judgment of more than $1.2 million in damages because of her misconduct. Her recent attempt to enlist a co-conspirator to shake down [his client] in a bogus lawsuit fell apart within days when indisputable evidence disproved her story, and the case was dismissed."

They both got restraining orders against each other in November 2020 and have been in a legal battle ever since.

Auguste had previously accused the DJ of distributing s*xually explicit videos of her without her permission and knowingly giving her a s*xually transmitted disease in June 2021, as per People. The producer had publicly denied all allegations but did not disclose if he had any STDs.

The case was soon dismissed in September 2022, and an arbitrator ruled in Diplo's favor. They ordered Auguste to pay the DJ $1.2 million in damages and to cover legal costs, as per Newsweek.

Diplo filed a lawsuit the same year, accusing her of stalking, trespassing, and distributing private materials. In the court filings, he alleged Shelly was “dangerously unstable" and claimed she “made relentless efforts to communicate with him” after he ended their relationship, including through fake social media accounts.

In July 2021, he was accused of s*xual assault by a woman who alleged he had coerced her into performing oral s*x and recorded it without her consent, as per NME.

Another anonymous woman accused him of recording their s*xual encounter without her consent and then leaking the footage online on June 24 of that same year.

Netizens were quick to mention Diplo's multiple similar encounters with the law, however, some believe Shelly is looking for a payout. Some of the reactions are given below.

A civil trial is reportedly scheduled for April 2024, as per Rolling Stone. Meanwhile, the DJ has not released a statement about the latest allegations yet.