What was Charlamagne tha God accused of? The rapper's publisher's motion to dismiss Jessica Reid’s defamation lawsuit granted

Charlamagne tha God and his publisher Simon & Schuster have turned out victorious as the judge sided with the defendants in their ongoing lawsuit. The case was filed by a woman named Jessica Reid in 2022 against the comedian and his publisher over his 2017 book Black Privilege.

On August 14, Judge Ona T. Wang granted the defendant’s motion to dismiss Jessica Reid’s defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress claims. According to the judge, the plaintiff’s claims failed on multiple procedural grounds. Jessica Reid had relied on New York’s Child Victims Act while filing her claims. However, the judge stated,

“The CVA does not apply to plaintiff’s defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress claims against [Simon & Schuster] because defamation and IIED arising out of the publication of a book do not constitute a sexual offense under New York criminal law.”

Jessica Reid had accused Charlamagne of s*xually assaulting her at a party back in 2001 when she was just 15. The author had written about the incident in the book and after its publication, Reid sued him and the publishing house. Charlamagne denied Reid’s allegations.

According to Judge Ona T. Wang, Charlamagne tha God’s account of the incident was compatible with the plaintiff’s narrative. It was only her allegation that she saw his face before he assaulted her, which did not have any ground. The judge further added that the author’s account did not expose Reid to shame, hatred, or any such disgrace.

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Charlamagne tha God was arrested in 2001

Back in 2001, the radio host was arrested for engaging in s*xual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl. However, these charges were dismissed later on, but he admitted to underage drinking at his party. The plea deal was accepted in 2002. While talking about the incident in a YouTube video, Charlamagne,

“It was the year 2000..2001. I think I was like 20, I was 20 years old. My cousin had just graduated from high school and he had got a scholarship to Penn State University and I had a party and I had all these chicks at a party like I was doing overnights...I was working at Z93 then.”

He further added,

“So I used to see this chick with my dude so I brought, you know I invited her to the party. She was at the party and she got drunk, high, whatever whatever..something happened in her room with a couple of my dudes. I’m asking them did they mess with the chick, you know after the fact after she pressed charges and they was like no.”

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Charlamagne's book Black Privilege has been the New York Times bestseller. In this book, he explores the eight principles of unlocking one’s God-driven privilege. He is also the author of the global bestseller Shook One. The writer’s latest book, Get Honest or Die Lying, was released this year.