Back in October, ex-Crystal Castles vocalist Alice Glass accused her former bandmate Ethan Kath of sexual assault. Now, Kath has responded, and is reportedly suing glass for defamation following these claims.
Last month, Alice Glass (born Margaret Osborn) claimed that Ethan Kath had repeatedly sexually abused her over a number of years. “I met ‘Ethan Kath’ (Claudio Palmieri) when I was in the 10th grade,” she wrote in a statement on her website. “The first time he took advantage of me was when I was around 15. He was 10 years older than me.”
“Leaving Crystal Castles was the single most difficult decision I’ve ever made—that band was everything to me. My music, my performances and my fans were all I had in the world. I gave that up and started over not because I wanted to but because I had to,” she continued.
“As difficult as it was, I knew that leaving was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It has taken me years to recover from enduring almost a decade of abuse, manipulation and psychological control. I am still recovering.”
Kath responded to these claims at the time by stating that Glass’ claims were “pure fiction”.
As Pitchfork reports, Ethan Kath has now filed a lawsuit against Alice Glass for defamation amongst other charges. Kath claims that he has suffered “suffered emotional distress” because of the claims, which he says were concocted in order to “ruin his good name and reputation in the industry, destroy Crystal Castles… and in turn boost her own career.”
Kath also states he suffered losses “in excess of $300,000”, which stem from the fact that the band was dropped from their management and booking company, and were forced to cancel a North American tour.
In a statement given to Pitchfork, Ethan Kath states that, “Alice and I had a long ongoing relationship both personal and professional. When she suddenly left Crystal Castles to handle her mental health issues and substance abuse issues I fully supported her.”
“I will continue to support her quest to wellness,” he continues. “But I can’t support extortion, false claims, and accusations put forth after the band attained new success without her.”
Revisit one of Crystal Castles’ most famous tracks, ‘Alice Practice’:
