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Jake Paul has been accused of sexual assault days before his boxing match with Ben Askren.
TikTok star Justine Paradise released a video last Friday that’s now gained steam. It has taken the social media influencer community, as well as the sports and entertainment world, by storm, owing to the serious nature of the allegations.
In the video – posted on her official YouTube channel as embedded below – Paradise provided a detailed account of the alleged incident.
Justine Paradise has accused Jake Paul of sexually assaulting her in July 2019
Justine Paradise noted in her video that the earliest text conversation she had with Jake Paul was on June 1st, 2019. Paradise added that the last text Paul sent to her was on July 20th, 2019, the day the alleged assault took place.
Later in the video, Paradise added that the alleged assault took place on the night of July 19th or early morning on July 20th at around 3 am.
During the video, Paradise explains that she didn’t really watch Jake Paul’s content before meeting him, adding that she still hasn’t watched any of his videos. The TikTok star noted, however, that she knew who Paul was.
Paradise also alluded to Jake Paul being one of the biggest and most famous names in social media influencer circles, which is why she was aware of who he was despite not following the content he produces.
Jake Paul’s Team 10 house was one of the most popular social media influencer houses back in 2019. It was a well-known location where a myriad of internet stars shot and produced content. Justine Paradise revealed that between June and July 2019, she was invited to and visited the Team 10 house on multiple occasions.
Paradise suggested that nothing untoward happened during those visits, but added that she did find Jake Paul to be socially awkward with her. Paradise also opined that she believes he behaved in that manner only with her and perhaps isn’t as uncomfortable with others.
Recalling the night of the alleged assault, Paradise revealed that she was at the studio in the Team 10 house. Paradise alleged that Jake Paul pulled her into a corner area of the studio and began kissing her. Paradise claimed that she found it strange but wasn’t alarmed at this point. She noted that Paul then took her to his room, which is where he sexually assaulted her.
A few excerpts from Justine Paradise’s video are as follows:
“Sex is very special and very important to me, but I haven’t had sex with that many people. I haven’t. Normally – not all the time – but normally, everybody respects me when I don’t want to do sexual things. So, I thought that it was fine if I went in his room. And I thought it would be fine to kiss him because I thought he would stop if I didn’t want to do anything else. Like, that’s normal. That’s what you do.”
“Like, I couldn’t even tell him not to. He didn’t ask for consent or anything. Like, he knew I didn’t want to do anything with him because he said, ‘If nothing’s gonna happen, what’s the point?’ And then he just shoves himself in me. That’s not okay. On no level at all is that okay.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Justine Paradise also noted that prior to entering the Team 10 house, they were made to look into a camera and sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement). Paradise emphasized that this was one of the reasons why she waited so long to go public with her allegations against Jake Paul.
Paradise felt that going public with her allegations would be in violation of the NDA contract. However, she noted that the reason she’s now come forward with her story is to help other girls. Paradise explained that her aim is to prevent other girls from potentially being exploited by Jake Paul.
Furthermore, Justine Paradise also highlighted that she feels publicly calling out Jake Paul and individuals who engage in such antisocial behavior against women discourages them.
Justine Paradise revealed that after the assault, she tried contacting Jake Paul via text and through friends as well, but Paul never responded. Paradise noted that while some may wonder why she’d want to meet the individual who assaulted her, she wanted to meet Paul and tell him why what he did was wrong. Paradise added that she expected an apology from Jake Paul but is yet to receive one.
Jake Paul responded to Justine Paradise’s allegations and has denied any wrongdoing
A few days after the video was released, Jake Paul responded to Justine Paradise’s allegations. On Tuesday, Paul put forth a statement via Twitter which read as follows:
“Sexual assault accusations aren’t something that I, or anyone should ever take lightly, but to be crystal clear, this claim made against me is 100 percent false.”
“Not only have I never had any sexual relationship with this individual, but this claim is solely a manufactured accusation and a blatant attempt for attention during a highly visible fight week. Make no mistake, I plan on pursuing this defamation of character case to the fullest extent of the law. There are irreparable damages from these types of accusations, and more importantly, false allegations of this nature diminish those who have truly been victims of misconduct.”
“Again, this individual is directly using the attention from her social media posts and video to promote her adult content website and Amazon shopping list — designed for people to buy her gifts. These allegations come conveniently for her, almost two years after the alleged incident and the week of my fight (of course.)”
“At the time of her story, I was in a relationship, and as someone who was a momma’s boy growing up, I respect women and mothers more than anything. I most certainly have never laid a finger on a girl without their consent.”
“I will fight this to the end to prove my innocence. This isn’t the first preposterous allegation made against me in my career and it most likely won’t be the last. As someone who has lived in the spotlight since the age of 16, dealing with liars, fake news, and false accusations unfortunately is a part of this job. I won’t back down from it and years from now my character as individual will show and shine through these dark moments.”
Jake Paul’s legal team has addressed the allegations made by Justine Paradise
Furthermore, as reported by the New York Post, Jake Paul’s legal team has released a statement whereby they’ve categorically denied the allegations made by Justine Paradise. An excerpt from the statement given by Paul’s attorney – Daniel E. Gardenswartz of Solomon Ward Seidenwurm & Smith LLP – read as follows:
“Our client is aware of the recent allegation against him. While others have already begun to debunk the claim alleged against him, our client categorically denies the allegation and has every intention of aggressively disproving it and pursuing legal action against those responsible for the defamation of his character.”
“Our client believes that any false allegations diminish the credibility of those who have truly been victims of misconduct.”
Presently, Jake Paul (2-0) is scheduled to face former UFC star and retired MMA fighter Ben Askren (0-0). The fight will mark Askren’s professional boxing debut and is expected to be an eight-round cruiserweight bout.
The Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren fight will headline a fight card that features several other boxing matches as well. The event will take place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on April 17th, 2021.
