Former Anti-Flag frontman Justin Sane has been accused of planning to “flee to Europe” following allegations of sexual misconduct.
Accusations against the singer – real name Justin Geever – came to light last year, when Kristina Sarhadi, a New York holistic therapist and health coach, filed a lawsuit against him.
In the filing, Sarhadi said: “Justin Geever used his platform as a celebrated, self-proclaimed ‘punk rock star’ 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.”
Geever did not respond to requests for comment at the time, but later shared a statement denying all accusations raised against him.
Now, Sarhadi has amended her complaint and alleged that Geever has “purposefully and unlawfully attempted to avoid service” in the lawsuit she brought against him in November.
It also claims that Geever recently sold his house in Pittsburgh, has since attempted to “hide his assets by transferring funds overseas to an Irish bank account”, and now “plans to flee to Europe within the next few days.”
Justin Sane of Anti-Flag performs during the Vans Warped Tour 25th Anniversary on July 20, 2019 in Mountain View, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
The amended filing also claims that the singer’s attorney, Michael Johnson, went “silent” during settlement negotiations and failed to serve Geever with the lawsuit.
According to Rolling Stone, Sarhadi has requested that the judge authorise Geever’s sister Mary – who reportedly has Power of Attorney – to be served on his behalf.
NME has reached out to representatives of Geever for comment.
In July, the band announced their sudden split, without giving any kind of explanation. They deleted all of their social media accounts and their official website.
On that same day, an episode of the podcast Enough was released, in which a woman spoke about being raped by a singer in a political punk band. She did not name the band or singer, but many speculated at the time that she was referring to Geever. It was later confirmed that this woman was Sarhadi.
A few days after the split, Geever issued a statement, reading: “Recently, there have been claims of sexual assault made against me and I can tell you that these stories are categorically false. I have never engaged in a sexual relationship that was not consensual, nor have I ever been approached by a woman after a sexual encounter and been told I had in any way acted without her consent or violated her in any way.”
Justin Sane (L) and Chris#2 of Anti-Flag perform during the “Mourning in America” tour at Concord Pavilion on September 28, 2018 in Concord, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
“Now that I have had a few days to absorb the initial shock, I am making this statement to set the record straight,” he added. “In regard to Anti-flag disbanding, as a band, the decision was made that under these circumstances it would be impossible to continue,” adding “I want to thank my family and friends, and the many, many fans, musicians, and bands who have reached out to me to offer their support and help.”
In a separate statement, the rest of the band – Pat Thetic, Chris Barker and Chris Head – said: “A core tenet of the band Anti-Flag is to listen to and believe all survivors of sexual violence and abuse. The recent allegations about Justin are in direct contradiction to that tenet. Therefore, we felt the only immediate option was to disband.”
They continued: “We have been shocked, confused, saddened and absolutely heartbroken from the moment we heard these allegations. While we believe this is extremely serious, in the last 30 years we have never seen Justin be violent or aggressive toward women. This experience has shaken us to our core.”
In September, it was reported that twelve more women had come forward to allege that Geever had sexually assaulted them in incidents that date from the ’90s to as recently as 2020. He did not respond to requests for comment.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN
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