An aspiring singer has sued Jason Derulo for alleged sexual harassment, accusing him of signing her to his record label in order to have sex with her.
Emaza Gibson says she met the R&B singer back in August 2021, after which she was offered a record contract with his imprint, Future History.
Gibson, now 25, thought it was a 'no-brainer' and signed the record deal, excited to start her solo music career.
However, in a lawsuit filed on Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, she claims that Derulo, 34, made multiple unwanted sexual advances toward her once they started working together.
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She also alleges breach of contract and intimidation and violence, among other complaints.
Derulo has denied the claims, calling them 'completely false and hurtful'.
Gibson told NBC News that she has been left 'traumatized' by Derulo's alleged behavior.
“I’ve dealt with inhumane work situations. … I’m at this point where I’m back to zero and I have nothing," she said.
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In her lawsuit against the singer, Gibson alleges he would often invite her out for drinks, offers she would decline in order to 'keep their relationship professional.'
However, after declining any outings where alcohol would be served, she claims he started bringing it to their studio sessions.
She claims she was pressured to drink 'inappropriately large amounts of alcohol' during a recording session in September 2021.
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"I told him that I wasn’t a drinker … so it’s like, you know, you’re not listening to that the first time I tell you, and you’re still pushing on me,” Gibson alleged. “It’s, like, pressure at this point.”
She also claims that she was exposed to a lot of drugs, particularly cocaine, during her tenure working with the 'Swalla' hitmaker and that Derulo allegedly once asked her partake in 'goat skin and fish scales.'
Gibson told NBC News she was aware that 'fish scales' referred to a strain of cocaine but that she had to look up what Derulo appeared to mean by doing 'goat skin.' She later found out from online articles it pertained to a sex ritual.
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The lawsuit states that she considered this an 'explicit demand for sex-in-exchange-for-success.'
She also claimed that Derulo acted aggressively on occasion and detailed an alleged incident that occurred in November 2021.
The lawsuit states that Gibson was introduced to a woman named Rosa at the time, whom she perceived to be an example of how she could become successful if she slept with Derulo.
She alleges that the singer 'lost control and began aggressively hitting his arm rests' when she told his manager about Rosa’s appearance.
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Gibson's record deal with Atlantic Records was terminated in September 2022.
“I’m just trying to fight for what’s right, because what was done to me was not OK,” she says. "I wouldn’t want anybody else to go through what I went through."
Derulo has since posted a video to Instagram, denying Gibson's claims.
The caption reads: "I wouldn’t normally comment but these claims are completely false and hurtful.
"I stand against all forms of harassment and I remain supportive of anybody following their dreams. I’ve always strived to live my life in a positively impactful way, and that’s why I sit here before you deeply offended, by these defamatory claims. God bless."
UNILAD has reached out to Derulo's reps for further comment.
Bec Oakes