Grammy-nominated DJ and record producer Paul Oakenfold has been accused of sexual harassment and workplace violations by his former personal assistant, according to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday obtained by Deadline.
The lawsuit, filed by attorneys for a 24-year-old woman identified only as Jane Roe, alleges that two management companies run by Oakenfold, along with manager Paul Stepanek and other unnamed individuals, violated her employment rights. The woman is seeking damages from five claims in excess of $25,000.
“Our client has shown tremendous courage in coming forward about Mr. Oakenfold’s sexual harassment,” Roe’s attorneys told TheWrap. “Our legal team is fully committed to holding him and the other defendants accountable for their egregious actions. We hope that this case will continue to shed light on the prevalence of such misconduct and encourage others who have experienced similar acts to reach out and seek justice.”
The suit alleges that Oakenfold, who has remixed artists like the Rolling Stones, Madonna and Britney Spears, exposed himself and masturbated in front of the plaintiff four times on four different dates while she worked as his personal assistant in his home, with the first instance allegedly occurring on her first day of work. The filing states that all of the incidents allegedly occurred while Oakenfold was “physically near” the plaintiff. In one instance, he allegedly masturbated in the plaintiff’s own vehicle.
Jane Roe reported the alleged exposures to management, after which she says she was presented with a nondisclosure agreement that she refused to sign. Management allegedly wouldn’t allow her to return to work after she refused to sign, and threatened to fire her. The plaintiff eventually signed the NDA, though she did so under duress, according to the court filing.
Though she was allowed to return to work and wasn’t assigned to Oakenfold, the plaintiff said her hours were cut and she was eventually laid off for lack of work in March.
Spokespersons for Oakenfold and Stepanek didn’t immediately respond to TheWrap’s requests for comment.
