A woman has filed a request for a restraining order against musician and producer Diplo, a.k.a. Thomas Wesley Pentz, the Daily Beast and Pitchfork reported. Lisa Bloom, the attorney representing the Los Angeles woman, told Pitchfork in a statement that the restraining order is “to prevent Diplo or anyone associated with him from distributing revenge-porn images of my client, which is illegal and often done to discourage accusers from coming forward.” According to the Daily Beast, the woman tweeted last month that Diplo had groomed her and later hired a private investigator to find her after an argument. She claimed the producer was “a huge manipulating liar / gaslighter who PREYS [on] young women of ALL races (to be honest) but primarily young naïve women of color,” according to the Beast. Later, she saw that someone had tweeted a naked photo of her, which she claims only she and Diplo possessed. Bloom, the woman’s attorney, told the Beast they believe the account that tweeted the photo was “a front account and a fake account” tied to Diplo. Bloom also told the Beast she has spoken to three additional women with similar allegations against Diplo.
Diplo denied the claims through his lawyer. “To be clear, in no way has my client violated any law,” Bryan J. Freedman told the Beast and Pitchfork in a statement. “In fact, he has repeatedly made it clear that he wants nothing whatsoever to do with this person — and simply needs her ongoing harassment of his family to end.” According to the Beast, a restraining-order hearing is scheduled for December 7 in Los Angeles.
Bloom, the attorney representing the woman filing the restraining order, has a history of cases against celebrity men accused of sexual harassment or assault. She previously represented women accusing former Fox host Bill O’Reilly of sexual harassment; she also advised disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein on the sexual assault allegations against him. (Weinstein has since been found guilty of multiple charges and still faces others.) Her mother is Gloria Allred, the feminist lawyer who represents multiple Weinstein accusers, along with women who accused Bill Cosby of sexual abuse.
