An aspiring singer who alleges Jason Derulo signed her to his record company, then later threatened and fired her after she resisted his sexual advances, has dropped RCA Records as a defendant in her lawsuit.
Emaza Gibson claims in her Los Angeles Superior Court suit that Derulo hired her in 2021 and “promised to make multiple music albums” with her as part of a joint venture with Atlantic Records and his label, Future History, which were named as co-defendants along with RCA Records.
Gibson had alleged, among other things, that RCA was one of her joint employers with the other two companies and that a failure to prevent workplace harassment occurred on the part of all three. On Thursday, Gibson’s attorney filed court papers with Judge Serena Murillo without explanation asking that RCA be dismissed as a defendant “without prejudice,” meaning the company can be brought back into the case later.
Derulo previously used social media to deny Gibson’s allegations.
“I wouldn’t normally comment but these claims are completely false and hurtful,” Derulo said. “I stand against all forms of harassment and I remain supportive of anybody following their dreams. I’ve always strived to live my life in a positively impactful way, and that’s why I sit here before you deeply offended by these defamatory claims.”
According to Gibson’s lawsuit, “Derulo informed plaintiff that if she wanted to be successful in `this business,’ plaintiff would be required to partake in `goat skin and fish scales,’ which is a Haitian reference referring to conducting sex rituals, sacrificing a goat, goat blood and doing cocaine.”
The lawsuit contends that “the manner and timing of such a statement meant that Derulo was demanding sexual acts from plaintiff in order for Derulo to fulfill his role as her mentor, supervisor and musical collaborator. This explicit demand for sex-in-exchange-for-success was reinforced through Derulo’s subsequent behavior.”
Derulo later began regularly inviting Gibson to have drinks or dinner, requests she declined in an effort to keep their relationship professional, according to the lawsuit, which further states she eventually insisted that her mother/manager be present during all of their future meetings or recording sessions, allegedly angering Derulo and causing him to stop answering her texts.
Gibson was fired in September 2022, the suit states, and she was never able to get a response from Atlantic executives about her allegations of “sexually, emotionally and physically inappropriate behavior.”
Gibson allegedly suffered breakdowns, weight loss, mood swings, hopelessness , loss of motivation and feelings of betrayal and deception and had to seek mental health treatment, leading to a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.
A case management conference is scheduled Feb. 6.