A singer who claims Jason Derulo sexually harassed her and then turned “deeply hostile” when she rebuffed his advances has resurrected her previously dismissed lawsuit against the platinum-selling artist and Atlantic Records by filing it in New York.
Emaza Gibson, known professionally as Emaza Dilan, first sued Derulo and Atlantic in October 2023 in Los Angeles, but a California judge dismissed the complaint last year, ruling that Gibson had signed artist agreements with clauses agreeing that all legal disputes would be confined to New York courts. Gibson’s new lawsuit, filed Thursday in Manhattan state court, includes the same allegations but now cites New York laws for her claims of discrimination, retaliation, hostile work environment, breach of contract, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
“This case arises out of a recording deal gone wrong due to egregious sexual harassment, broken promises, and retaliatory career sabotage,” the new 49-page lawsuit obtained by Rolling Stone alleges. “What began as a dream opportunity quickly descended into a nightmare of quid pro quo sexual harassment and intimidation.”
In the new complaint, Gibson, 27, alleges that Derulo reached out to her via direct message in August 2021 and said he wanted to sign her for his new joint venture linking Atlantic Records with his own label, Future History. Gibson claims Derulo, 35, promised he would personally mentor her and collaborate with her on multiple albums, which caused her to feel “over the moon” at the prospect of Derulo “leveraging his star power to boost her introduction to the market.”
Gibson says the professional relationship took an unexpected turn when Derulo allegedly pressured her to drink alcohol with him during late-night meetings and purportedly made sexually explicit comments to her on Nov. 2, 2021. She claims Derulo told her that if she wanted to “make it” in the music industry, she would have to take part in what the lawsuit describes as “ritualistic sex acts.” Gibson says she made it clear she wasn’t interested, and Derulo “became increasingly disinterested and aloof” after that.
Lawyers for Derulo, Future History, Atlantic, and Derulo’s longtime manager, Frank Harris, did not respond to requests for comment. Derulo previously denied Gibson’s claims against him, stating in an Instagram post that the allegations were “completely false and hurtful.”
With her refiled lawsuit, Gibson clearly is not backing down. “Derulo exploited his power, implying that plaintiff’s success was conditioned on participating in degrading sexual rituals and cocaine use,” the New York complaint states. “When plaintiff resisted Derulo’s advances and later complained about his misconduct, defendants retaliated by withdrawing support, stalling her music releases, and ultimately terminating her contract under pretextual circumstances.”
The lawsuit further alleges Derulo “physically intimidated” Gibson “by lunging at her and screaming in her face without provocation.” Gibson claims Derulo “deliberately sabotaged her dream and career when she didn’t submit to him sexually, an abuse of power that likely any reasonable member of the community would find despicable.”
Speaking with Rolling Stone when she first filed her claims in 2023, Gibson said her alleged experience with Derulo dashed her dreams. “This is super devastating for me. [Professional singing] is something I always wanted to do since I was a little girl. Jason was one of my favorite artists on the pop scene. I accept this amazing offer only to find out the person I looked up to would put me through such a traumatic situation,” she said.
“We are fully committed to defending Jason’s innocence against these blatantly false and baseless claims. If these false accusations are refiled in New York, we are confident that the New York court will ultimately dismiss the case and prove Jason’s innocence. The court was correct in dismissing the lawsuit in California,” Derulo’s legal team said in a statement to Rolling Stone last year, after the case was fully dismissed in Los Angeles.
In his Instagram statement, Derulo said he stood “against all forms of harassment” and remained “committed to supporting people following their dreams” in the entertainment industry. “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,” he said.