On Monday, April 5, a lawsuit was brought against Bassnectar by two women who say they had sexual relationships with the Santa Cruz DJ-producer while they were still underage. The case also accuses the EDM star—real name Lorin Ashton—of human trafficking, as well as making and possessing child pornography.
Co-defendants in the lawsuit include San Francisco record label Amorphous Music, along with Bassnectar Touring, Red Light Management, C3 Presents and the Interactive Giving Fund organization. In a press release, a lawyer acting on behalf of Ashton’s accusers, Rachel Ramsbottom and Alexis Bowling, said: “This lawsuit is about seeking justice not just against Bassnectar but against the corporations that cooperate in and help facilitate the abuses he is alleged to have committed.”
Ashton’s attorney Mitchell Schuster, in a statement to Rolling Stone, called the accusations by Ramsbottom and Bowling “outrageous claims.” He also suggested they were “clearly designed for the media, rather than the courts.”
Ashton announced he was stepping back from music nine months ago, after multiple allegations about his relationships with young women and girls emerged online. These allegations, along with screenshots of emails and DMs from Ashton, were primarily gathered and shared by the @EvidenceAgainstBassnectar Instagram account that launched in June 2020.
Ramsbottom and Bowling say Ashton initiated contact with them both via Twitter, initially in the manner of a friend and mentor. Interactions, they say, later became suggestive. Both say they had sex with him while underage, and that he solicited explicit photos from them. Ramsbottom says that several years later, Ashton offered her money to stay quiet about their former relationship.
