The Pussycat Dolls are fighting back against allegations suggesting the band was a “prostitution ring” by suing bosses at a newspaper.
The girl group, founded by manager Robin Antin in 1995, became entangled in scandalous headlines in October (17) after a woman named Kaya Jones, who claimed to be a former member, took to Twitter and alleged that bandmates were forced into having sex with entertainment executives.
“My truth,” wrote Jones. “I wasn’t in a girl group. I was in a prostitution ring. Oh & we happened to sing & be famous. While everyone who owned us made the $ (money).”
The story was picked up by several outlets, including The Daily Mail, and now Antin has filed a defamation lawsuit on behalf of the band’s corporate entity, The Pussycat Dolls, Inc., in a bid to restore the group’s reputation.
The complaint, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, reads, “This defamation action arises out of the intentional, reckless and malicious publication by the Daily Mail Corporation… of false and defamatory statements made by a disgruntled, unreliable and biased person looking for her fifteen minutes of fame, Kaya Jones, when the Defendants knew through their direct prior dealings with Plaintiffs, or should have known, with even the most basic check, that Ms. Jones was unreliable and her story obviously false.”
Insisting chiefs at The Daily Mail neglected to properly vet the accuser, the legal documents continued, “Instead, for pure sensationalism, and advertising money, and to grab salacious headlines to sell their product, and without caring what it meant for Plaintiffs, their business, or their reputation, the Defendants published and commented on these defamatory statements with a reckless disregard for the truth.”
The Pussycat Dolls have had a revolving cast of dancers and singers throughout its existence, including Christina Aguilera, Christina Applegate, and Carmen Electra, but at the height of the troupe’s fame, after evolving into a music group in the early 2000s, Nicole Scherzinger, Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta, Melody Thornton, and Kimberly Wyatt were the stars.
