Crystal Castles songwriter Ethan Kath is suing his former bandmate Alice Glass after she alleged he raped and abused her.
Kath whose real name is Claudio Palmieri, 34, is suing Glass, 29, for defamation after she wrote in a lengthy blog post last week.
‘Over a period of many months, he (Kath) gave me drugs and alcohol and had sex with me in an abandoned room at an apartment he managed. It wasn’t always consensual and he remained sober whenever we were together,’ Glass wrote.
‘He became physically abusive. He held me over a staircase and threatened to throw me down it. He picked me up over his shoulders and threw me onto concrete. He took pictures of my bruises and posted them online,’ she alleged.
Alice Glass (pictured) is being sued after posting a lengthy statement to her blog alleging her former bandmate Ethan Kath was physically abusive, and raped her after plying her with drugs
Ethan Kath (pictured) denies the allegations. In his suit, he says in addition to her statements being defamatory that when she quit the bandhe was out $300,000 in tour profits
Glass claims Kath became more controlling as their success grew, starting with the release of their first EP in 2006.
She also alleged She also alleged ‘As we started to gain attention, he began abusively and systematically targeting my insecurities and controlling my behavior: my eating habits, who I could talk to, where I could go, what I could say in public, what I was allowed to wear.’
‘He kept me from doing interviews or photoshoots unless he was in control of the situation. Our fame grew in Crystal Castles but he didn’t feel he was getting the recognition he thought he deserved,’ she said of her former bandmate.
‘My client categorically denies all the malicious lies about sexual abuse. At no time did my client ever force Alice Glass into having sex with him against her will, much less by use of violence or drugs to take advantage of her,’ Kath’s attorney Shane Bernard said in a statement to BuzzFeed.
Kath is now suing Glass for defamation in Los Angeles Superior Court. He claims after he ended their romantic relationship in 2012 she started to accuse him of stealing her portion of the band’s profits.
Glass quit the band in 2014 citing personal and professional reasons. She now says Kath was the reason for her leaving
He also says, beyond damage to reputation, he is at a loss of about $300,000 in profits after Glass left the band in 2014, effectively cancelling their Crystal Castles’ North American tour.
Kath also claims Glass’ ‘illicit drug abuse became substantial and her behavior erratic’ when she began dating her now-boyfriend Jupiter Keyes, according to his complaint obtained by BuzzFeed.
Glass left Crystal Castles in 2014, citing personal and professional reasons.
She said at the time ‘art and (her) self-expression in any form has always been an attempt towards sincerity, honesty, and empathy for others’ and she longer felt that possible with Crystal Castles.