A former gay porn star was today ordered to pay more than £100,000 in damages to an adult industry media mogul after he falsely accused him of being a ‘rapist’ on Twitter.
Adult actor-turned-pop singer Mickey Taylor, whose real name is Marcus Stones, has been sued by industry boss Jack Aaronson for defamation over his attack on the social media site now known as X.
He posted a series of tweets in June 2020 accusing him of ‘raping male models’ and the High Court was told that amounted to the claim that Mr Aaronson was ‘therefore a serial rapist’.
The internet posts appeared after the two men had a disagreement over an unrelated matter and fell out, the High Court heard.
American businessman Mr Aaronson, who is known in pornography as Dominic Ford and founded a website called Just For Fans, complained that Mr Stones had made a ‘series of incredibly serious false allegations’ as an ‘act of revenge’ after the disagreement.
Adult actor-turned-pop singer Mickey Taylor (pictured in 2020) was today ordered to pay more than £100,000 in damages to an adult industry media mogul after he falsely accused him of being a ‘rapist’ on Twitter
Mr Stones has mr. Aaronson’s defamation claim is contested and the case was heard in the High Court in London in December 2022 with the judgment by Mr. judge Julian Knowles delivered today.
Mr Stones was also hit with a £212,000 bill to cover Mr Aaronson’s costs in addition to the £110,000 damages order.
The defendant, who is from Manchester and now an animation and illustration student, told the court he was forced to leave the porn industry in August 2021 because of the case.
Mr. Aaronson, 48, worked in the porn industry before launching the website Just For Fans, which connects porn stars directly with viewers, in 2018.
The site allows users to follow and chat with their favorite porn stars and gain access to exclusive videos and photos by paying a monthly fee, with the platform taking a share of the profits.
Last year it had a turnover of around £30m and has several million subscribers.
The success of the move led to him being nominated as XBiz Businessman of the Year in 2022.
Under the pseudonym Dominic Ford, Mr Aaronson carved out a career as one of the most successful gay porn stars, as well as running his own porn studio for nearly a decade.
Speaking to Mail Online from his offices in California, he said the decision by the High Court in London had vindicated him and “lifted a huge albatross off my back.”
He added: ‘I’m so relieved. I feel that through an objective process of a court of law it was very clearly and very emphatically said that I did not do anything that he claims I did.
‘This is not up for debate. Everyone has their day in court and no one’s voice is silenced and that is a very powerful thing.
Industry boss Jack Aaronson, (pictured in 2020) who is known in porn as Dominic Ford and founded a website called Just For Fans, complained that Mr. Stones made a ‘series of incredibly serious false claims’ as an ‘act of revenge’. after the disagreement
‘I have a spotless reputation but this has been a terrible nightmare which has affected my business and personal life.
‘These were very serious allegations that I felt strongly should be heard in a court of law and not the court of Twitter.
‘It was very difficult for myself and for my staff who represent my company and also for my friends who have taken the brunt of my silence over these years.
‘Anyone who knows me or has had any interaction with me knows that these were unbelievable stories. But there are so many people who don’t know me and some of them believed the allegations.
‘My business has suffered tremendously. There are so many models, male and female, who would not join my site because of the allegations against me.
‘The word reached the whole industry and my brand became very toxic for a very long time.
‘I lost friends and people who supported me lost friends. We lost a ton of business.’
In his judgment today, the judge said: ‘The defendant subjected the claimant to a campaign of defamation of an extremely serious kind which had a direct impact on many aspects of the claimant’s life, including his reputation, his business and his mental well-being.’
Mr Aaronson’s lawyer Yair Cohen said: ‘Those people who make false allegations of this nature are damaging the cause of the real rape victims.
‘My client has been through a terrible ordeal that was started by a vengeful individual who thought he had the power to destroy someone else’s life by making false accusations on social media.
‘False allegations of sexual assault not only harm the innocent, but also undermine genuine victims. I am very pleased with the outcome and hope that in the future internet users will think twice before posting false claims of this nature’.