Paul Oakenfold faces sexual harassment lawsuit from former personal assistant
The producer and DJ has been accused of masturbating in front of plaintiff ‘Jane Roe’ on multiple occasions.
Image: Sergi Alexander / Getty Images
Veteran DJ and producer Paul Oakenfold has been accused of sexual harassment in a recent lawsuit filed by his former personal assistant.
Deadline reports that the lawsuit was filed on Friday (2 June) in Los Angeles Superior Court by a 24-year-old woman, who alleges that the two companies run by Paul Stepanek, CEO of New Frequency Management and Stepanek Management, Paul Oakenfold, and various John Does had violated her employment rights.
The plaintiff, identified only as ‘Jane Roe’, said that she was 23 when she started working for New Frequency Management last October as Oakenfold’s personal assistant for $20 per hour. The sexual harassment, the lawsuit claims, began “very shortly after”.
“On four separate occasions, each on different dates, while Oakenfold had Plaintiff alone at his house, Oakenfold touched his genitals and then masturbated in front of Plaintiff when Oakenfold was aware that Plaintiff could not escape,” Roe’s complaint states.
“In each instance of masturbation, as described herein, Oakenfold stimulated his genitals with his hand, in close proximity to the plaintiff, for plaintiff to see. On each separate date of masturbation, Oakenfold masturbated for longer periods of time.”
The musician also allegedly once masturbated in the passenger seat while Roe was driving him home in her own car.
According to the lawsuit, Roe was presented with a nondisclosure agreement after reporting the incident to management, and was prevented from returning to work until she signed it, which she eventually did “under duress”.
After returning to work, Roe was no longer assigned as Oakenfold’s assistant, though she alleges that “her hours were dramatically reduced,” until she was “laid off for lack of work” in March 2023.
”Defendants terminated Plaintiff not for any legitimate reason, but in retaliation for Plaintiff’s complaints about the aforementioned sexual harassment, in violation of the law,” the lawsuit adds.
Roe is seeking damages of more than $25,000. To read the full court filing, head to Deadline.
A prominent record producer, remixer and DJ, Paul Oakenfold has released a substantial discography of original material, and created remixes for songs by the likes of Madonna, Britney Spears, The Cure and Michael Jackson.
