- Music
- 15 Jul 14
The accuser offered a signed notarized apology after being sued for defamation by Oberst.
The allegations of Conor Oberst raping a woman after a Bright Eyes show in 2003 have now been fully refuted. The allegations began in late 2013 through posts on Tumblr, with bad publicity eventually mounting to the point of Oberst suing the accuser Joan Elizabeth Harris in February.
Harris has now retracted her allegation in a public apology. Representatives of Oberst say they've received the apology after spending seven months trying to get in contact with Harris, who also goes by Joanie Faircloth. Read the full statement below.
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"The statements I made and repeated online and elsewhere over the past six months accusing Conor Oberst of raping me are 100% false. I made up those lies about him to get attention while I was going through a difficult period in my life and trying to cope with my son’s illness. I publicly retract my statements about Conor Oberst, and sincerely apologize to him, his family, and his fans for writing such awful things about him. I realize that my actions were wrong and could undermine the claims of actual sexual assault victims and for that I also apologize. I’m truly sorry for all the pain that I caused."