Photo-Illustration: By The Cut; Photos: Getty Images
Singer Ima Gibson has accused Jason Derulo of retaliatory sexual assault, NBC News reports. In a new lawsuit filed in Los Angeles and obtained by the outlet, Gibson, 25, alleges that Derulo approached her with the promise of a record contract, then subjected her to “aggressive behavior, unwanted invitations” and “implies.” To further his music career he would have to have sex with her”. Gibson – who is seeking damages from Derulo’s record imprint Future History as well as Atlantic Records – claims Derulo abandoned their deal after rejecting his advance terms. “I’m worried, I’m in shock. “I’ve suffered inhumane working conditions,” Gibson told NBC in an interview. “I’ve been to the point where I’m back to zero and I have nothing.”
Gibson is best known for her role in the now-disbanded LA-based R&B girl group Ceradi, in which she performed with her sisters Sayre and Zanui Gibson; The group was signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label in 2019 before splitting in 2021. In his lawsuit, Gibson claims that Derulo reached out to the group with an invitation to a work session and approached him again as a solo artist. April 2021 for a joint venture between Atlantic Records and Future History. According to the lawsuit, the terms of the deal required Gibson to create a mixtape in four months and an album in six months, as well as a single featuring Derulo, to be presented to Atlantic Records executives. She says she and Derulo began working with each other in studio sessions, where he allegedly pressured her into drinks and dinner in the members-only lounge. After declining several times, Gibson says he accepted Derulo’s invitation to have drinks with him at his studio sometime in September 2021; While there, she says he gave her “unreasonably large amounts of alcohol” and pressured her to drink, even though she told him she “didn’t drink much.” Gibson says he told Derulo he was unwilling to compromise his morals, at which point the musician reportedly told him he would have to partake in “goat skins and fish scales” in order to achieve success. The language used clearly refers to “rituals involving sex, goat sacrifice, and blood,” according to Gibson’s lawsuit.
Gibson’s lawsuit also alleges at least two verbal outbursts from Derulo. The first alleged instance occurred in November 2021 at a meeting with Atlantic Records in New York City, where Gibson says Derulo extended the invitation to another musician, Rosa, at the last minute. Gibson says Derulo showed Rosa’s music to authorities and that Rosa privately told Gibson that she and Derulo had a sexual relationship. In his suit, Gibson recalled telling Derulo’s manager that she was “taken aback” by Rosa’s appearance, causing Derulo to hit his armrest and yell, “‘What does he have to do with you? We weren’t going to tell you anything! We don’t need to tell you anything!“on that. Gibson claims her deal was signed after the meeting, but Derulo neglected to appoint her a project manager and either dismissed or ignored numerous messages related to her work, allegedly telling her That he can “always achieve new records.” Gibson’s lawsuit also says that Derulo accused her in front of her mother and staff members at a Los Angeles recording session in 2022. “No one has ever approached me like this,” Gibson told NBC.
Following the incidents, Gibson says she was ultimately dropped by both Atlantic and Future History in September 2022 and that efforts to report Derulo’s alleged misconduct to Atlantic’s human resources department went unanswered. She is seeking damages from the defendants over sexual harassment, breach of contract, failure to address workplace harassment and violations of California’s Civil Rights Act.
For his part, Derulo released a statement via Instagram, denying Gibson’s “false and hurtful” allegations. “I stand against all forms of oppression and support anyone who follows their dreams,” the musician said in a video. “I have always strived to live my life in a positive way, and that is why I sit here in front of you, extremely hurt by these defamatory claims. God bless.”
The Cut has contacted both Derulo and Atlantic Records for comment. We’ll update this post when we hear back.