Diplo Wins $1.2 Million in Revenge Porn and Harassment Case

An arbitrator awarded Diplo more than a million to cover damages, attorney fees, and other costs. A Los Angeles judge must now sign off on the reward.

Diplo at LaQuan Smith’s NYFW After Party Hosted by Zacapa Rum
Getty

Image via Getty/Dave Kotinsky

Diplo at LaQuan Smith’s NYFW After Party Hosted by Zacapa Rum

Diplo has secured a big win. 

According to TMZ, an arbitrator has awarded the Grammy winner more than $1 million in his highly publicized legal battle with Shelly Auguste. The woman filed a temporary restraining order against Diplo—legal name Thomas Wesley Pentz—in 2020, just months after she and the DJ ended their romantic relationship. Auguste accused Diplo of “serious misconduct,” including the distribution of revenge porn and coercing her into sex. Auguste’s claims were detailed in a 2021 sexual battery lawsuit.

Diplo denied the allegations and sought a temporary restraining order against the accuser in December, about two months she sought one against him. He described his ex-girlfriend as “a stalker [who] scammed her way into my life and tried to extort me for millions and then sued me when she didn’t get what she wanted.”

He had filed his own lawsuit against his ex in spring of last year, claiming she relentlessly harassed him and his family. The woman was accused of trespassing, sending sexually suggestive messages to Diplo’s relatives, and sharing unauthorized nude photos on social media. 

Diplo went on to request an arbitration hearing against Auguste, claiming she violated a dual restraining order agreement they signed in early 2021. The arbitrator recently sided with the DJ and awarded him $1.2 million to cover attorneys fees, damages, and other expenses.

“We are all extremely pleased for Wes (Diplo) and his family,” Diplo’s attorney Bryan Freedman told TMZ. “What happened here is simple. The arbitrator looked at all the facts. She evaluated the evidence impartially. And justice prevailed.”

According to the outlet, the Los Angeles Superior Court must now sign off on the arbitrator’s ruling. Stay tuned as more details about the case become available. 

Latest in Music