A man accused of sexual assault in New Jersey is now suing the women who accused him and spread accusations on social media.

According to NJ.com, bartender Brent C. was accused of sexual assault online last June. After the initial accusation, posts warning other women and bar patrons to be careful around Brent spread across Reddit and Facebook. Brent, who has never been convicted of sexual assault, says these posts have ruined his life.

According to CNN, defamation lawsuits of this kind are not unheard of. From France to India to the U.S., men accused of sexual assault are claiming they have faced unfair targeting and even false accusations. These suits, some of which can lead to jail time for the alleged victims, are causing concern to women’s advocacy groups and the #metoo movement who claim these suits will discourage victims from coming forward.

Men Accused of Sexual Assault Filing Defamation Cases

Brent filed a defamation suit against eight different defendants on Oct. 10, 2019. The defendants included one woman who initially accused Brent, four women who spread the information online, and two male bartenders who he said shared the accusations on Bartender’s Guild, an industry website frequented by bartenders and their potential future employers.

The plaintiff alleges that defendants flooded social media with false allegations featuring his name and place of work. According to NJ.com, some of the posts claimed there were “positive rape kits” and charges against Brent, but Brent has never charged with any sort of sexual misconduct.

“We’ve got a live one right here in Asbury, folks. A manager at Modine drugged a woman last night at another establishment. This isn’t his first offense. Be careful and guard your drinks,” one Facebook post found by NJ.com read.

After the allegations appeared online, Brent lost his job at a popular Asbury Park restaurant. His former employer said on Instagram that “while the event did not take place at our restaurant… within hours of the team being notified, the person in question was terminated.” Brent moved to Tennessee and North Carolina after his dismissal but says he was unable to get jobs because of the accusations. 

Brent’s defamation lawsuit is Case No. SOM-L-001356-19, filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey.

New Jersey Sexual Assault Laws

In New Jersey, sexual violence and assault is defined as “the penetration, no matter how slight, in which physical force or coercion is used or in which the victim is physically or mentally incapacitated”, according to the State of New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety. Rules have also been added for sexual assault prevention in the educational system, especially for campus dating.

Brent was never charged with sexual assault, nor is there proof that his accusers went to the police. In cases like this, there is no way to know if the accusations are true, and accusers of sexual assault crimes may be able to file criminal charges based on New Jersey’s statute of limitations alone. 

According to the NJ Coalition Against Sexual Assault, there are different statutes of limitations for civil and criminal charges. The New Jersey statutes on civil cases have has recently been expanded significantly.

All victims of sexual assault have seven years from the date of the incident to pursue civil actions in New Jersey. This timeline is significantly longer for adults who experienced sexual assault as children. Adult survivors have until age 55 to file civil actions. However, if an adult survivor isn’t aware of their trauma, they have seven years from when they do become aware of their assault to take civil action.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.