- Artist Jason Derulo sexually harassed a young female singer, according to a new lawsuit.
- Plaintiff Emaza Gibson says Derulo pressured her to have sex with him to advance her career.
Jason Derulo recruited a young female artist to his record label and then subjected her to continued sexual harassment, according to a lawsuit filed this week.
The filing says Derulo recruited Emaza Gibson in 2021 to a venture between himself, his label, Future History, and Atlantic Records, saying that he needed to sign a new artist for Atlantic.
Submitted to the Los Angeles County Superior Court on October 3, the complaint names Derulo and his manager Frank Harris, Atlantic Records, Future History, and RCA Records as defendants.
According to the filing, after recruiting Gibson, Derulo often made romantic advances, including inviting Gibson to drinks or dinner.
The lawsuit says Derulo told Gibson she would have to "partake in 'goat skin and fish scales,' which is a Haitian reference referring to conducting sex rituals, sacrificing a goat, goat blood, and doing cocaine" to succeed in the music industry.
Gibson also said Derulo "charged" at her in a fit of rage after she arrived late to a recording session because of traffic, per the filing. When she brought her complaints to Harris, she was told Derulo had the right to become angry with her.
Derulo's actions made Gibson worry that "this amazing opportunity was going to deteriorate because she refused to have sex with and have drinks with DERULO," according to the filing.
In September 2022, Gibson said she was told her employment with Atlantic and Future was over and her complaints about Derulo to Atlantic's human resources department were ignored.
As a result of Derulo's actions, Gibson has had to receive mental health and medical intervention for a number of issues, including PTSD, breakdowns, weight loss, and insomnia, per the filing.
Attorney Ron Zambrano, who is representing Gibson, said Derulo should "aim to be a better person" and acknowledge the "pain and suffering" he caused Gibson.
"The entire music industry is due for a #MeToo movement," Zambrano said in a statement sent to Insider. "This sort of conduct is pervasive but it takes brave people like Emaza to come out of the shadows and share their stories to finally bring an end to this shameful behavior."
In an Instagram video, Derulo did not explicitly mention the lawsuit, but appeared to reference it, calling the "claims completely false and hurtful."
"I stand against all forms of harassment and I remain supportive of anybody following their dreams," Derulo said in the video. "I sit here before you deeply offended by these defamatory claims."
The suit seeks general, punitive, and compensatory damages, as well as special damages like medical expenses.
Representatives for Derulo, Harris, Atlantic, and RCA did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, sent outside regular business hours.