We are still trying to identify the anonymous accuser of an attack

When Avril Lavigne announced that All Time Low — the long-running pop-punk quartet from Baltimore, MD — would be opening for her on her world tour this year, my first thought was: Did people forgot all this ordeal with these social anonymous people? media accounts accusing Jack Barakat, the band's guitarist, of sexual assault, and the defamation lawsuit that followed?

The allegations came to light in October 2021, following TikTok user @mini.grew's video overlaid with text: “I'm telling everyone how a famous pop punk band let me on their bus when I was 13 and people tell me how nice it was of them.-.” and referencing several All Time Low songs in the comments.

Others later made further accusations, including a Twitter user going by the name @ATLstatement who detailed years of alleged abuse by Barakat starting in 2011, when she snuck backstage at the age of 15. accuser, known as Jane Doe 2, in the band's legal proceedings, with Barakat, frontman Alex Gaskarth, bassist Zack Merrick and drummer Rian Dawson calling the allegations “absolutely and unequivocally false.”

Their lawyer, Michael Garfinkel, was in court in Los Angeles this morning, having noted in pre-hearing filings that Twitter and TikTok had failed to identify the central accuser (Doe 2) in the case, rolling stone reports. He claimed the accuser used a “temporary email account” to create social media profiles, but the IP address information associated with the accounts could be traced to two Panama-based companies: PacketHub SA and NordVPN.

“There’s a reason these companies are locating in Panama,” Garfinkel said. “Their compliance is spotty. And we've tried different ways to get there, including direct contact with the entities, and they're going to make us jump through all the hoops,” adding that the U.S. State Department told him that, through official channels, it could take up to a year to get companies to comply with court orders.

Judge Daniel S. Murphy granted class counsel's request for more time, setting a follow-up hearing for November 13. The judge said in an earlier ruling that Doe 2 should be identified to All Time Low to pursue his case. , because freedom of expression does not extend to defamation. “Here, the complaint sets forth a valid assertion because it sets forth the exact statements allegedly defamatory, alleges that they are false, and alleges that defendants made those statements with actual malice,” Judge Murphy wrote.