On Wednesday, December 6, Pitchfork reported that Diplo is the subject of allegations made by Shelly Auguste, who claims he “distributed nude photographs of her without permission.” The report is said to have been filed in August with the Los Angeles Police Department, but it’s far from the first time Auguste has filed against Diplo.
“The woman, Shelly Auguste, has been involved in a legal battle with the superstar producer born Thomas Wesley Pentz since 2020, and this is the second time she has accused him of distributing revenge porn,” relayed Pitchfork‘s Carly Lewis. “(Diplo was not charged criminally over the initial allegation.) In November, the LAPD submitted Auguste’s new case to the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, where it is currently under review.”
Pitchfork additionally notes that Diplo is also suing Auguste for “stalking, trespassing, and distributing private materials.” He first filed against her in April 2021.
“For more than three years, Shelly Auguste has been orchestrating an ongoing smear campaign against Wes — and this is just more of the same,” Bryan J. Freedman, Diplo’s attorney, told Pitchfork, adding, “Now, Ms. Auguste is at it yet again. But Wes will defend himself, and, just as he has done every time Ms. Auguste has defamed, harassed and attacked him and his family, he will win.”
Auguste initially alleged Diplo was “distributing revenge porn” and sought out a restraining order against him in November 2020. The following month, Diplo reportedly requested a restraining order against Auguste. But the allegations and lawsuits against Diplo kept coming from Auguste (and others), including for “sexual battery, assault, defamation, infliction of emotional distress, and fraud” in June 2021 (as per TMZ at the time). In October 2021, Diplo publicly denounced all allegations with a statement claiming Auguste was “a stalker” who “scammed her way into my life and tried to extort me for millions and then sued me when she didn’t get what she wanted.”
Per Pitchfork, Auguste is suing Diplo for “sexual battery, gender violence, intentional intrusion into private affairs, battery, assault, defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and fraud, as well as violation of the Ralph Civil Rights Act and violation of the Tom Bane Civil Rights Act.” Their civil trial is scheduled for April 2024.
The new Pitchfork report thoroughly lays out the the timeline of what is alleged to have occurred between Diplo and Auguste. Read it here.