Back in December 2022, Charlamagne Tha God was sued by a woman named Jessica Reid, who accused him of sexual assault in 2001 Violate. Simon & Schuster’s book “Black Privilege” sued him. The book, published in 2017, tells his account of the incident.
Now, Judge Ona T. Wang is siding with Charlamagne and his co-defendants. She granted Simon & Schuster’s motion to dismiss Reed’s claims of defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. “McElvey’s account of the sexual assault and its aftermath was entirely consistent with the plaintiff’s account of the sexual assault, except for the plaintiff’s claim that she was able to see McKelvey’s face before McKelvey sexually assaulted her,” she ruled. “In any event, McKelvey’s account, while selfish in its version of events, is not ‘revealing’ [Reid] “Hate, humiliate, slander, insult, disgust, contempt, ridicule, revulsion, rejection, disparagement or disgrace.”
Judge Sides with Charlamagne Towers, Simon & Schuster
Charlamagne tha God attends the 2023 HOPE Global Forum at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia on December 11, 2023. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images)
Judge Wang also pointed to Reed’s reliance on New York’s Child Victims Act as a problem. “CVA does not apply to claims for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress [Simon & Schuster] Because under the New York Penal Code, defamation and IIED arising from the publication of a book do not constitute a sex crime,” she explained. “Second, even if the CVA does reinstate statute-barred defamation and IIED claims arising out of the alleged sexual assault, the plaintiff’s claims are untimely.”
What do you think of the judge dismissing the defamation and emotional distress charges against Charlamagne Towers? Are you surprised or not? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below and follow HNHH for more updates.
About the author
Caroline Fisher is a news writer for HotNewHipHop from Chicago, Illinois. She started working at HNHH this year and has since spent her time writing about all things newsworthy in the hip-hop world. She is passionate about finding the hottest stories and loves documenting new developments in culture and entertainment. She also appreciates hip-hop music and is dedicated to covering the most important trends and shifts. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She graduates in 2022 with an English major and a concentration in media, rhetoric and cultural studies. She specializes in music, pop culture, and entertainment, and some of her favorite musical artists include Snoop Dogg, OutKast, and Nicki Minaj. When she’s not writing music, she also enjoys performing, watching the latest movies, keeping up with current events, photography, and poetry.
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