Diplo Sued for Revenge Porn in New Lawsuit

A New York woman has filed a revenge porn lawsuit against Diplo, claiming the DJ and producer sent sexually explicit videos and photos of her to another woman, according to court papers obtained by Rolling Stone.  

The woman, who filed under a Jane Doe pseudonym in California District Court on Thursday, claims she was 21 years old when she began Snapchatting with Diplo — whose real name is Thomas Wesley Pentz — in April 2016. They allegedly exchanged sexual images and met in person in June 2016 when Pentz invited the woman to his Manhattan hotel room. 

Over the course of their casual seven-year relationship, the woman alleges 45-year-old Pentz sometimes recorded their sexual encounters with her consent, according to her suit. However, the woman claims that she was clear that she wanted the footage and any intimate photos to remain private. 

But last November, according to the lawsuit, someone had reached out to Doe and claimed she was in possession of sexual videos and images of Doe, which the woman claimed that Pentz sent her via Snapchat in October 2018. “Upon information and belief,” the lawsuit added, “defendant Diplo has continued to disclose and/or distribute [Doe’s] intimate images and/or videos from 2018 through present.” 

Doe says she filed a police report in New York on November 7, and days later “the NYPD issued a warrant for Defendant Diplo’s arrest for dissemination of intimate images and/or videos depicting” Doe, according to the lawsuit. 

The NYPD did not acknowledge if there was an active warrant for Pentz when contacted by Rolling Stone, but did confirm there was an active investigation. “There is a criminal complaint on file for unlawful dissemination for a suspect with the name of Thomas Pentz which is currently being investigated by NYPD detectives,” a spokesperson said.  

In a statement to Rolling Stone, Pentz’s attorney Bryan Freedman described the woman’s lawsuit as an “obvious shakedown” attempt. “Time and again, Wes has been targeted by a group of untrustworthy individuals and their unscrupulous lawyers, cobbling together falsehoods in search of a meritless payday,” Freedman said. “This suit seems to be just more of the same, which is why we have no reason to believe that this will end any differently than all the others.”

This is the second time Pentz has been accused of sharing explicit photos of a woman without her consent. Shelly Auguste has been in a legal battle with Pentz since 2020 when she accused him of coercing her into having sex after a Las Vegas concert. She accused the producer of recording the encounter without her knowledge and later leaking the footage online. 

Auguste filed a restraining order against Pentz in 2020, and she is currently suing the DJ for sexual battery, assault, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. (Pentz previously denied Auguste’s allegations, claiming she was an “obsessed fan” who was harassing and attacking him.) 

In July 2021, another Jane Doe sued Pentz. She claimed that during an afterparty in Las Vegas in 2019, Pentz wouldn’t allow her to leave the room until she performed oral sex on him, alleging he might have recorded the encounter. Pentz denied her claims and the following week the woman dropped her lawsuit, saying in a statement that she “regret[ed]” her decision and “no payment was offered or requested” as part of withdrawing the filing. 

The New York Jane Doe is seeking damages of at least $450,000. “Revenge pornography is an abhorrent violation of privacy and trust, inflicting profound emotional trauma on victims like Jane Doe,” her attorney, Micha Star Liberty, said in a statement to Rolling Stone. 

“Diplo’s actions represent a severe abuse of power and a blatant disregard for human dignity,” she added. “It is imperative that we, as a society, condemn such actions and hold perpetrators accountable. This lawsuit is a vital step towards justice, highlighting the necessity of protecting the rights of those who have been exploited.”