Singer-songwriter Blackbear is citing free speech in seeking dismissal of multiple allegations against him by a social media personality and influencer who says he took advantage of her youth to manipulate her for his own benefit and induced her to use drugs, but the plaintiff contends in new court papers that her case is on solid legal ground.
The woman is identified only as Jane Doe in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit against the entertainer, whose real name is Matthew Tyler Musto. In court papers previously filed with Judge Stephen P. Pfahler, Musto is asking that Doe’s claims for non-consensual distribution of intimate images, civil theft, civil exploitation, invasion of privacy, negligence, public disclosure of private facts, civil harassment and stalking and negligent infliction of emotional distress be removed from her case.
The allegations involve activity protected by the anti-SLAPP statute because they involve Musto’s exercise of free speech in a public forum about issues of public concern as well as litigation conduct, according to Musto’s attorneys’ court papers.
Specifically, Doe’s claims regard social media posts that Musto allegedly made about or concerning Doe, all of which were subject to widespread attention from Doe’s fans, plus Musto has a million social media followers, according to his lawyers’ court papers. But in pleadings filed Monday with Pfhaler, Doe’s attorneys state that there is no evidence of “protected” speech on the 35-year-old Musto’s part and that his motion is “frivolous and was filed solely to harass Plaintiff and delay these proceedings.”
Rather than protected speech, Musto’s conduct toward Doe allegedly involves such private civil matters as civil theft and exploitation, invasion of privacy, harassment and stalking and non-consensual distribution of intimate images, according to the new pleadings by the plaintiff’s lawyers.
In addition, Doe says in a sworn declaration that she moved from Los Angeles to Tokyo, but recently found out that Musto also is headed there.
“Learning this made me extremely anxious and fearful,” Doe says. “I left Los Angeles specifically to escape the emotional distress and fear caused by Musto’s actions and his announcement that he is coming to Tokyo feels threatening and invasive. I am terrified that he intends to find me or show up uninvited and I now live in constant fear of running into him.”
As a result of Musto’s alleged behavior, Doe has suffered severe emotional distress that includes panic attacks, ongoing fear, physical pain and a worsening of her existing medical conditions, she says.
A hearing on the anti-SLAPP motion is scheduled May 29. The state’s anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) statute is intended to prevent people from using courts, and potential threats of a lawsuit, to intimidate those who are exercising their First Amendment rights.
According to Doe’s lawsuit, she first met Musto online in 2012 when she was just 17 years old and living in Texas and had “long romanticized the artistic and cultural life of Los Angeles.”
Musto, already an established figure in the music industry, recognized Doe’s youth, vulnerability and admiration and deliberately began engaging with her through social media, the suit alleges.
During the relationship, Musto was manipulative, using controlling and verbally abusive behavior toward her and repeatedly inserted himself into her life by manipulating her romantic relationships and exploiting her emotional connection to him for his own personal gain and publicity, the suit further contends.
According to the suit, Musto has long struggled with severe substance abuse and his erratic behavior escalated during relapse. The alleged trait intensified when Doe was 19 and 20 years old and he provided her with excessive amounts of drugs and alcohol, rendering her incapacitated, disoriented and unable to recall events, the suit states.
While Musto was receiving treatment for diabetic shock at a facility in December 2024, Doe spoke to him daily and remained sober in solidarity as he showed her songs he claimed were written for and about her, the suit filed Nov. 25 states.