Note: This article contains graphic descriptions of alleged sexual assault.
Anti-Flag’s Justin Sane has been sued for the alleged rape of a fan in 2010. Kristina Sarhadi says the singer “strangled her, forced her to perform oral sex on him, and raped her” at a motel when she was 21. She filed the suit yesterday (November 23) under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, with a request for a jury trial.
A statement from Sarhadi reads, in part, “Justin Geever used his platform as a celebrated, self-proclaimed ‘punk rockstar’ to groom and lure vulnerable girls into feeling safe in his presence. While he sang about protecting women and standing up to abusers, it appears he was hiding an addiction to power and control, harming countless women who have been unable to speak up before now. Today I hope to encourage his survivors, and survivors of other predators in the music industry, to feel hope again. What sexual predators take from us cannot be restored, but we are no longer the silent victims they want us to be.”
Sarhadi is the New York holistic therapist and health coach whose initial allegations contributed to Anti-Flag’s breakup. The lawsuit names not only Justin Sane, whose real name is Justin Geever, but also Hardwork Distribution, Inc.—the distribution arm of Anti-Flag’s A-F Records—as well as an unnamed Doe. (Pitchfork has emailed the former band members of Anti-Flag for comment and clarification of their roles at Hardwork.) The lawsuit argues that Hardwork and the unnamed defendant “knew or should have known” that Justin Sane “habitually and routinely engaged in sexual misconduct with young women and underage girls throughout the country,” particularly in motel rooms, and had a duty to protect them.
According to the suit, Sarhadi met Justin Sane after an Anti-Flag show in 2010. She says she spoke with him but did not reciprocate the “flirty nature” of the conversation, repeatedly telling him she was in a committed relationship. He allegedly invited her to a film festival the following week, and, “trusting in [his] strong feminist stance,” she agreed, according to the suit. She was also reassured of his intentions by the knowledge that he had a serious girlfriend.
After watching Justin Sane’s performance at the film festival, Sarhadi says he invited her to an afterparty; on the drive, she says she reiterated that she was in a long-term relationship. When the party was over, the lawsuit alleges that he invited her to his motel room so she could be the first to hear a new song, to which she agreed. She says that, on the drives to the party and to the motel, he earned her sympathy by talking about the death of his nephew and accusing his partner of infidelity.
At the motel, Sarhadi claims that Justin Sane screamed, “Football Tackle!” and tackled her onto the bed, then strangled her and forced her to perform oral sex. She says she was crying and repeatedly told him to stop, but he ignored her, penetrating her vagina with his penis and eventually passing out on top of her. She says she was able to escape his hotel room without waking him.
Sarhadi says the incident left her with a number of psychological injuries, and that she has had treatment for “C-PTSD, clinical depression, ADHD resulting from trauma, emotional hyperarousal, and rejection sensitivity dysphoria.” She is seeking damages for lost income and medical and mental health costs, accusing Justin Sane of assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She also accuses Hardwork and Doe 1 of negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
In her statement, Sarhadi says that, when she first shared her story, she did so for her “own personal healing” and “had no intention of naming Justin or pursuing a lawsuit.” But hearing from other alleged survivors of abuse at his hands encouraged her to take action. “In the last five months I have learned the levels of his depravity and witnessed the inaction of those around him who could have and should have intervened to protect us,” she says.
Dr. Ann Olivarius, an attorney for Sarhadi, said in her own statement, “I predict that in five years the music industry will be viewed the same way as the Catholic Church or the Boy Scouts—a powerful force that also enabled and shielded sexual predators for decades. ‘Drugs, sex & rock ‘n roll’ was a reality that meant a lot of young women got abused. The bands had handlers who made it all happen and executives who covered it all up because so much money depended on it.”
After the first allegation surfaced, several women came forward with similar accusations of predatory behavior and sexual abuse by Justin Sane, as the lawsuit notes. At the time, the other members of Anti-Flag released a statement condemning him and thanking the survivors for coming forward. Pitchfork has emailed Justin Sane for comment.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, we encourage you to reach out for support:
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
http://rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line
SMS: Text “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741