The public fallout between one-time Crystal Castles frontwoman Alice Glass and her former bandmate, Ethan Kath, has reportedly evolved further, with the latter being said to have filed a defamation lawsuit against Glass following her recent allegations of rape and sexual assault.
According to TMZ, Kath (aka Claudio Palmieri) is pursuing legal action against his old "personal and professional" partner in response to her claims, which asserted that, during their time together, he "gave me drugs and alcohol and had sex with me in an abandoned room in an apartment he managed", and that "it wasn't always consensual".
Glass also accused Kath of being physically abusive, citing an instance where she alleges that he "held me over a staircase and threatened to throw me down it", as well as a time that he "picked me up over his shoulders and threw me onto concrete".
In the immediate wake of the accusations, Kath issued a statement dismissing Glass' claims as "pure fiction", and said at the time that he was "consulting my lawyers as to my legal options".
In a new statement provided to TMZ, Kath elaborated further, saying:
"Alice and I had a long ongoing relationship both personal and professional. When she suddenly left Crystal Castles to handle her mental health issues and substance abuse issues I fully supported her. I will continue to support her quest to wellness but I can't support extortion, false claims, and accusations put forth after the band attained new success without her.
"False allegations take away voice from true victims and that's what saddens me most about all of this."
According to the suit, Crystal Castles — who now consist of Kath and present frontwoman Edith Frances — have lost about $US300,000 (about $392,000) as a result of having to cancel a planned tour in the wake of Glass' comments.
Last year, the band were dropped from a feminist showcase following a boycott by Glass, who said, "as someone who knew Ethan Kath on a personal and professional level", she did not believe they were an appropriate choice for the event.
Glass has not responded to Kath's lawsuit, but has so far stood her ground; earlier this week, she released a series of screenshots apparently of an email exchange between herself and former manager James Sandom following an alleged incident in which Kath threw Glass' phone out the window of a moving vehicle, prompting Sandom to label his behaviour as "domestic abuse", though he later told the Telegraph he was "never fully clear" on the pair's relationship status.
"The abuse that I endured was not only physical and mental from Claudio, but also seen in the negligence of those who were firsthand witnesses and did not speak up," Glass wrote. "I encourage everyone out there to help anyone that they feel is in an abusive relationship. All it takes is one person."
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