A star on the social media platform TikTok said the ‘youtuber’ became a boxer, Jake Paul, forced her into an unauthorized sexual act in the summer of 2019.
Justine Paradise said in a 20-minute video on YouTube last Friday that she previously said nothing about the alleged attack because she signed a nondisclosure agreement.
In a statement to ESPN, Attorney Daniel E. Gardenswartz, who works for the Solomon Ward Seidenwurm & Smith LLP law firm, said Paul “categorically denies the charge” and “will take legal action against those responsible for the defamation of character.”
In the full-length video, Paradise noted that she met Paul several times in June and July 2019 at a Los Angeles mansion where several social media stars lived and worked. Paradise said that on July 20, 2019, she felt she had made it clear to Paul that she didn’t want to go beyond kissing, but Paul forced her to do other things.
“He didn’t ask for permission or anything,” Paradise said in the video. “I knew I didn’t want to do anything with him.”
Paradise made no mention of the possibility of taking the information to the police. Paul responded on Twitter on Tuesday saying that “this claim against me is 100% false” and that he “has never had a sexual relationship with this person.”
“Allegations of sexual assault are not something I or anyone should take lightly, but just to be clear, this allegation against me is 100% false,” he said.
Paul, 24, has been gaining fame in the boxing world since knocking out former NBA player Nate Robinson in November last year. Paul is scheduled to face former UFC fighter Ben Askren in a boxing match Saturday in Atlanta.