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Lily Allen Accuses Warner Music Of Failing to Act On Sexual Assault Allegations

LONDON — Lily Allen has accused Warner Music of failing to act after she told them about being sexually assaulted by an industry executive in 2016.

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Speaking on the BBC’s The Next Episode podcast, Allen says she met with Warner CEO of recorded music Max Lousada after she wrote about the alleged attack in her 2018 memoir My Thoughts Exactly.

Allen says she went out for dinner with Lousada about a month after the book was published and he told her he had no idea about the incident until he read about it.

Billboard understands the unnamed executive is not an employee of Warner Music.

The Next Episode host Miquita Oliver then asks the singer: "Did he say, ‘Now that we know, boy are we going to do something about it?’" Allen laughs and tells her, "No." 

The 34-year-old singer, who is signed to Warner Music label Parlophone, says it is well known in the music industry who her alleged attacker is.

In a statement Warner Music said: "These allegations from 2016 are appalling. We take accusations of sexual misconduct extremely seriously and investigate claims that are raised with us. We’re very focused on enforcing our Code of Conduct and providing a safe and professional environment at all times."

Allen first spoke publicly about the alleged assault last year. Recalling the incident in The Next Episode, she says it took place on a work trip to the Caribbean in 2016.

"This person crossed a line. I had been at a party. He was in a position of responsibility, I guess, and so he got me out of this party and he decided that he wanted to take me back to my hotel," Allen tells Oliver. 

"We got to my hotel. I couldn't find my room keys. So he was like, 'Well, why don't you sleep in my bed while I go and get the keys or whatever.' So I passed out in his bed. The next thing I knew I woke up and he was in my bed naked slapping my bum, trying to insert his penis into my private parts," she says.

Allen says the alleged attacker later apologized and asked her not to tell anyone about it. The artist says she decided not to report the incident to the police as she "didn't want to make a fuss. I wanted to keep it quiet. But I did want to protect myself."

The artist also claims that her career "has been fucked with as a result of talking about this stuff."

"I know what the music industry is and I know what’s it’s about and it’s not about protecting artists," she tells Oliver. "It’s about protecting big powerful men in positions of influence."

 

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