Back in October, the British publication Daily Mail ran multiple stories claiming the girl group The Pussycat Dolls was a “front for a prostitution ring.” Now, the former group is suing the news outlet for claiming members were abused and drugged, according to Page Six.
The main source of Daily Mail’s explosive articles was Kaya Jones, a former backup singer for the group. In the piece titled “Exclusive: Defiant ex-Pussycat Doll Ms. Jones tells how top record exec sexually assaulted her in the back of his limo–one day after saying the band was more ‘prostitution ring’ than pop group,” Jones is quoted claiming members of the group, founded in the mid-90s by Robin Antin, were “drugged” and that Antin was to blame for the abuse.
But the lawsuit suggests Jones’ claims could possibly be a form of retaliation, and were irresponsibly reported by Daily Mail. Documents filed to New York State on Monday say the singer auditioned for the group and was “disgruntled” after being given a backup vocalist position instead of a main role.
"It’s clear Ms. Jones was an unreliable and biased source simply looking for her 15 minutes of fame, and the Daily Mail could have taken their pick of dozens of sources to contact to see if there was an inkling of truth to the statements, but did not do so," the group’s attorney Richard Busch said in a statement. "Instead, for pure sensationalism and to grab salacious headlines to sell their product, and without considering what it meant for The Pussycat Dolls, their business or their reputation, the Daily Mail published these defamatory statements with a reckless disregard for the truth. Daily Mail’s conduct was malicious and it should be held responsible for the enormous damage The Pussycat Dolls and Robin have suffered as a direct result."
The group is best known for their hit songs "Don’t Cha" and "Buttons." The former reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 2005. The Pussycat Dolls has included a rotating cast of lead singers, but officially announced a hiatus back in 2010.
