A star on the social networking platform TikTok said that Jake Paul, the boxer who became YouTube, forced her to have sex without consent in the summer of 2019.
Justine Paradise said in a 20-minute video posted on YouTube last Friday that she did not say anything about the alleged attack earlier because she signed a non-disclosure agreement and thought she had violated the contract.
In a statement to ESPN, lawyer Daniel E. Gardenswartz, who works for the law firm Solomon Ward Seidenwurm & Smith LLP, said Paul “categorically denies the accusation” and will pursue “lawsuits against those responsible for defamation of character.”
Throughout the video, Paradise said she met Paul several times in June and July 2019 at Team 10 House, a mansion in Los Angeles, where several social media stars lived and worked. Paradise said that on July 20, 2019, she felt that she had told Paul that she did not want to go any further than kissing, but Paul forced her to have oral sex.
“He didn’t ask for consent or anything,” Paradise said in the video. “He knew I didn’t want to do anything with him.”
Paradise made no mention of the transmission of information to law enforcement.
Paul responded on Twitter on Tuesday, saying that “this statement made against me is 100% false” and that “he never had sex with this individual.”
“Allegations of sexual assault are not something I or anyone should take lightly, but to be clear, this statement against me is 100% false.” Paul said as part of his job. “… I will fight this to the end to prove my innocence.”
Paul, 24, has gained notoriety in the boxing world since he eliminated former NBA player Nate Robinson in November last year. Paul is scheduled to fight former UFC fighter Ben Askren in a boxing match on Saturday in Atlanta, and has called in characters such as UFC stars Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz for future boxing matches.