The sexual harassment lawsuit filed in October 2023 against singer Jason Derulo has been dismissed by the Los Angeles Court. The plaintiff, Emaza Gibson, is a beginning artist who signed a collaboration with the performer in 2021. After being fired by Derulo, the young woman decided to sue him, alleging that he had only signed her for sexual interests.
Emaza Gibson met Derulo in August 2021, when the singer offered her to record a compilation of songs and later release an album under his supervision. The young singer saw in him a great opportunity to launch her musical career and she signed the contract that was supposed to help her start her solo path in the world of pop.
At the beginning of their professional relationship, Gibson alleges that the artist offered her alcohol during their recording sessions although she had never accepted it in order to maintain professionalism between them. She also claims that after rejecting her proposals, Derulo had shown up on multiple occasions with his own bottle of alcohol at the studio.
The plaintiff's lawyer, a defender of artists such as singer Lizzo, added that Gibson was also forced to consume alcohol at certain times. Additionally, the plaintiff claims that Derulo's cocaine use was common during the recordings.
According to Emaza, the Talk Dirty singer even offered her to participate in sexual rituals, making explicit proposals to maintain relationships “in exchange for success.” On the other hand, the young woman has highlighted the singer's aggressive behavior: “he lost control and began to aggressively hit his armrest,” she says, referring to a moment in the trial where Jason lost his temper.
After the episodes of violence, Derulo decided to end her contract and fire her, a fact that motivated the young woman to sue him. It is precisely for this same reason that the plaintiff's lawyer has filed charges against the defendant for: intimidation, unfair dismissal due to illegal retaliation, and breach of record contract. The contract was terminated in September 2022 after a strong clash between the two.
The plaintiff alleges that she is just trying to fight for what is right. Furthermore, she has stated: “I wouldn't want anyone else to go through what I went through. They wasted my time. They promised me so many things…” The complaint also states that “Derulo was demanding sexual acts from Gibson so that the singer would fulfill his role as his mentor, supervisor and musical collaborator.”
However, and due to the record contract that the young woman signed with Derulo, the judge of the Los Angeles Court, to whom the lawsuit was presented, has ruled in favor of a change of location, since said contract stipulated that “ “Any potential dispute would be addressed in the New York City courts using that state’s law.”
For his part, the accused has published a video on his social networks where he denies Gibson's claims: "Normally, I would not comment, but these claims are completely false and hurtful." He also wanted to clarify that he is against any form of harassment and that he feels “deeply offended by some defamatory statements.”
Regarding Gibson, the amateur artist has stated that together with her lawyers she will resubmit the lawsuit in front of the New York Court. Currently, she assures that she feels a lot of anxiety and says she is traumatized: "I had already had to deal with inhumane work situations... But now I am back to square one and I have nothing," she stressed to the press.
