EDM DJ Paul Oakenfold has broken his silence after a former personal assistant filed a lawsuit against him accusing him of sexual harassment, including claims he masturbated in front of her.
Oakenfold vehemently denies the allegations and has now raised the matter directly on social media.
“I want to comment on recent allegations of sexual harassment against me. Let me be absolutely clear: I categorically deny all claims of inappropriate conduct. Respect, integrity and consent are values I hold dear, and I have always treated everyone with the utmost professionalism,” Oakenfold’s statement, posted to Instagram, began.
The world-famous DJ suggested that the charges against him were in fact a money grab by the former employee, a 24-year-old woman, who has shielded her identity and goes by Jane Roe in court documents.
“It is disheartening to see these baseless allegations, which appear to be nothing more than a calculated attempt to tarnish my reputation and extort money. I am determined to fully cooperate with any investigations to clear my name and will exhaust all available remedies, including the ability to counter, to protect my reputation and seek justice,” Oakenfold wrote.
Oakenfold denied the allegations and vowed to fight them in a statement posted on Instagram
Court documents allege that Oakenfold exposed and masturbated in front of the woman several times, starting with her first day in the role.
The woman also claims that such behavior occurred in several incidents, including in her car and on four separate occasions in one day.
According to the lawsuit, Roe took a job with the management companies in October 2022 and was immediately hired as Oakenfold’s personal assistant at a rate of $20 per hour.
She worked from the home of the 59-year-old Grammy-nominated DJ who remixed artists such as U2, Madonna, Britney Spears and the Rolling Stones.
But from day one, she claims, Oakenfold exposed and masturbated in front of her.
He would do it three more times over the next two months, including once in November 2022 when he reportedly masturbated to her four times in just one day.
Paul Oakenfold, 59, has been sued by a former personal assistant who claims he repeatedly masturbated in front of her
In another instance, the personal assistant alleges, he performed the act in her vehicle as she drove him home from the post office.
“Specifically, Oakenfold sat in the passenger seat, spread his legs wide, and began masturbating with plaintiff just inches away while plaintiff drove Oakenfold home from the post office,” the lawsuit alleged.
“Plaintiff froze in fear and fright while he was so close to Oakenfold.”
From there, the lawsuit asserted, “The incidents of masturbation by Oakenfold increased in length and intensity each successive time Oakenfold cornered Plaintiff and masturbated in Plaintiff’s immediate presence.”
Oakenfold also reportedly began expressing anger towards his personal assistant “which Plaintiff had not previously experienced from Oakenfold, even when Plaintiff had to endure the earlier sexual harassment.
Oakenfold also reportedly began expressing anger towards his personal assistant, and she began to worry about ‘physical escalation’ of the sexual harassment
“On that date, on or about November 21, 2022, Plaintiff began to fear not only continued sexual harassment, but that Plaintiff would suffer physical escalation of the sexual harassment or other repercussions if Plaintiff were forced to continue working for Oakenfold,” the lawsuit said. say.
At that point, it says, Roe decided to report the sexual harassment.
But before she did, the lawsuit alleges, “Stepanek, the defendant’s CEO, bragged about his insurance policies to protect him from being prosecuted for Oakenfold or “guilty by association.”
After she reported the alleged incidents to her bosses, who then pressured her to forcibly sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Despite signing the NDA, the woman claims her work hours were gradually reduced before she was laid off in March.
“Based on information and belief,” the lawsuit alleges, “defendants had previously assigned several other assistants to Oakenfold and there was likely a high turnover due to rampant sexual harassment.”
The assistant claims she reported the harassment to Paul Stepanek’s management office, which forced her to sign a non-disclosure agreement
When she reported the alleged sexual harassment, Roe claimed that Stepanek presented her with a non-disclosure agreement and prevented her from returning to work if she did not sign it.
Eventually, the suit says, Roe signed the NDA “under duress” and was allowed to return to work.
She was no longer assigned to be Oakenfold’s personal assistant, but Roe claims her hours were cut and she was fired for “lack of work.”
The personal assistant says CEO Paul Stepanek’s two companies — New Frequency Management and Stepanek Management — violated her labor rights. She is seeking damages in excess of $25,000.
The lawsuit alleges that the woman suffered “humiliation, emotional distress, and pain and anguish, all to the plaintiff’s loss in an amount according to evidence at the time of trial.”
Oakenfold told TMZ that the woman was not officially employed by him and was not working as his full-time assistant with minimal interactions and limited personal contact.
Oakenfold’s suggested that the DJ could not recall the woman’s name and that he had not yet received any court documents related to the allegations.