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Judge Denies Ethan Kath’s Appeal In Defamation Case Against Former Crystal Castles Bandmate
Pier Marco Tacca/WireImage/Getty Images – Alice Glass
Alice Glass performs with Crystal Castles at the Heineken Jammin Festival on July 7, 2012 in Milan, Italy.
Nearly three months after a judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit against former Crystal Castles vocalist Alice Glass filed by former bandmate Ethan Kath, the court has once again sided with her.
Kath filed the defamation suit against Glass after she posted a lengthy statement online accusing the multi-instrumentalist/producer/vocalist of “almost a decade” of physical and psychological abuse, including rape, throwing her onto concrete, locking her into rooms and controlling her behavior.
“oh and the bullshit lawsuit by my former bandmate was once again denied in his appeal attempt today. now he owes us legal fees,” Glass tweeted May 16.
She added, “heres the official from my lawyer for those who speak legal stuff.. ‘The court denied his request to vacate the judgment that dismissed his lawsuit. The judgment remains in our favor. The court also granted our request for attorney’s fees and costs’ ..so he lost and owes me $$”
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Samantha Jessner awarded Glass a total of $20,882.69 in attorney fees and costs at a hearing May 16, according to Pitchfork. The online magazine pointed out that a four-page court order explained that dismissals of suits are upheld when “a party has the opportunity to file an opposition to a motion, but fails to do so effectively,” or where “a party’s attorney makes mistakes of well-established law.”
Kath, who reportedly plans to appeal, initially denied Glass’ accusations with a statement posted on Facebook Nov. 3 that said, “Alice and I had a long, ongoing relationship both personal and professional. When she suddenly left Crystal Castles to handle her mental health and substance abuse issues I fully supported her. I will continue to support her quest to wellness but I can’t support extortion, false claims and accusations put forth after the band attained new success without her. False allegations take away voices from true victims and that’s what saddens me most about all this.”
After supporting Marilyn Manson on tour in early 2018 and wrapping a run of North American dates last weekend, Glass heads to Australia in June for co-bill gigs with Zola Jesus. She left Crystal Castles in 2014, saying it “was the single most difficult decision I’ve ever made … I gave that up and started over not because I wanted to but because I had to.”
Crystal Castles doesn’t have any current dates booked. C3 Management told Pollstar in February: “We do not represent the band anymore as of several months ago.”