An investigation revealed one of the defendants was actually "an orchestrated smear campaign by multiple individuals", their lawyer's statement reads All Time Low have dropped a libel lawsuit against “false and damaging” accusations that alleged sexual misconduct towards minors. In late-2021, guitarist Jack Barakat was accused of inappropriate sexual behaviour and sexual abuse towards female fans of the pop punk band that allegedly took place when they were minors. The band swiftly issued a statement on social media addressing the accusations as “absolutely and unequivocally false”.
Barakat later issued a statement of his own, saying he needed to “personally refute the claims being made against me and us, as they are 100% false”. Months later, in 2022, the band filed a libel lawsuit to “identify the culprits, prove that the defamatory statements are false, and seek justice” , their complaint read. The band sought real and punitive damages against the three anonymous defendants, as well as an injunction ordering the Doe defendants to remove any defamatory posts.
In an exclusive story by Rolling Stone last Friday (November 8), the band’s lawyer has now asked the court to drop the case without prejudice. This means that the band reserves the right to revive the action in the future, per Rolling Stone . The band’s statement reads: “This has been a challenging time for our band as we fought to clear and debunk these false and damaging online rumors.
We remain.