Conor Oberst rape accuser admits false allegations, issues public apology

14 July 2014, 19:25 | Written by Luke Morgan Britton

(News)

(Bright Eyes) (Conor Oberst)

In December of last year, an anonymous woman posted comments online accusing Bright Eyes musician Conor Oberst of sexual assault. Now, after months of ongoing court action, the accuser has retracted her initial statements.

As Pitchfork reports, the woman in question (real name Joan Elizabeth Harris) has issued a public apology after being sued for libel and defamation. In the legal statement, Harris describes her remarks as “100% false”, explaining that she was “going through a difficult period” at the time.

Oberst had been previously suing Harris for $1 million, with it not yet known whether the case has now been dropped.

You can read the full statement beneath:

The statements I made and repeated online and elsewhere over the past six months accusing Conor Oberst of raping me are 100% false. I made up those lies about him to get attention while I was going through a difficult period in my life and trying to cope with my son’s illness. I publicly retract my statements about Conor Oberst, and sincerely apologize to him, his family, and his fans for writing such awful things about him. I realize that my actions were wrong and could undermine the claims of actual sexual assault victims and for that I also apologize. I’m truly sorry for all the pain that I caused.