DeMario Jackson is being sued for sexual battery, false imprisonment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise alum DeMario Jackson is facing allegations of sexual assault. According to a court document obtained by ET, the 35-year-old reality star is being sued by two women who claim to have met him online.
Jackson is being sued for sexual battery, false imprisonment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The plaintiffs, who are referred to as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 in the suit, are seeking an unspecified amount of damages.
Walter Mosley, Jackson's attorney responded to the lawsuit in a statement to ET. "The allegations brought against him are completely unfounded. As the Plaintiffs’ own complaint clearly states, the police, who DeMario fully cooperated with over three years ago, found these women’s accusations to have no merit and the refused to pursue the matter," reads the statement. "In the days to come, we will release the evidence we shared with the police at the time of the alleged incidents. Unfortunately, DeMario and I will have to take up this fight again to clear his name. Like before, we will have same name-clearing result."
In a complaint filed Tuesday in Los Angeles, Jane Doe 1, a 25-year-old Pittsburgh native, claims that she met Jackson on a dating app and that the two went out on a date in downtown Los Angeles. At the end of the evening, she claims that Jackson grabbed and kissed her before he allegedly "exposed" himself.
"Jane Doe 1 was shocked and felt trapped," the complaint states, noting that she allegedly told Jackson "his behavior was unacceptable." Jackson allegedly apologized, and the two allegedly went on more dates.
After another alleged date, Jane Doe 1 claims that -- despite repeatedly saying that she did not consent -- Jackson "forcefully sexually assaulted her" while he was allegedly intoxicated. She claims that she went to a local hospital for a rape kit the following morning.
Jane Doe 2, a 28-year-old from Cleveland, claims that she began chatting with Jackson on social media and that he invited her to a private date in his home so that he wouldn't be recognized out in public. The filing states that during the course of their alleged date, Jane Doe 2 refused Jackson's alleged attempts to have sex with her before he allegedly "forced himself onto Plaintiff despite her demands to stop."
The filing alleges that Jackson later confessed to committing "an unconsented" act against her.
"These women who have come forward with their horror stories of how they were brutally sexually assaulted by Mr. Jackson are the latest brave victims to share their stories of how a powerful male used his celebrity status to manipulate, intimidate and silence them," the plaintiffs' attorney, Keith M. Davidson, told People in a statement. "They, like so many other victims in the #metoo reckoning, will be silent no more. Justice must be served. We look forward to holding all wrongdoers accountable for their despicable and scarring acts."
This news comes five years after a report of sexual misconduct between Jackson and Corinne Olympios temporarily halted production on Bachelor in Paradise while Warner Bros. investigated the alleged encounter. Nine days later, the studio announced that they hadn't found any evidence of misconduct, and season 4 would resume production without Olympios or Jackson (though they later appeared on the reunion show).
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