Crystal Mangum, who accused three Duke University lacrosse players of rape in 2006, has admitted she fabricated the allegations. Mangum, currently serving a prison sentence for second-degree murder, expressed remorse for her false testimony against David Evans, Collin Finnerty, and Reade Seligmann, stating she sought validation through her lies. The case had significant national implications, touching on issues of race, class, and gender. The charges were dropped after it was revealed that evidence was withheld by the prosecutor, who was later disbarred. Mangum hopes the former players can forgive her.
Crystal Mangum, who accused three Duke lacrosse players of rape in 2006, has admitted she lied about the incident. Speaking from prison, where she is serving time for a separate murder conviction, Mangum expressed remorse and asked for forgiveness from the men she falsely accused. The case had significant repercussions, including the cancellation of Duke's lacrosse season and the disbarment of the district attorney involved. The players were exonerated in 2007, and settlements were reached with Duke University and the city of Durham.
"Game of Thrones" actor Joseph Gatt is suing the City of Los Angeles, the LAPD, and District Attorney George Gascón for $40 million after being falsely accused of being a pedophile in 2022. The charges were dropped in February 2024, and Gatt's lawsuit alleges that the LAPD did not thoroughly investigate the accusations. The suit claims that the accuser fabricated sexually explicit messages and that the LAPD maliciously and recklessly used her false allegations to destroy Gatt's reputation and career.
Actor Joseph Gatt, known for his roles in Game of Thrones and Star Trek Into Darkness, is suing Los Angeles County, District Attorney George Gascón, and a police detective for $40 million, alleging that they falsely accused him of being a pedophile. The charges against Gatt were dropped after it was revealed that the evidence against him was fabricated by a teenager who was a fan of his. Gatt claims that the false accusations caused him to lose his community, acting career, and personal reputation, and is seeking to recover his losses in court.
Denton Loudermill, mistakenly linked to the mass shooting at Union Station during the Kansas City Chiefs parade, speaks out to assert his innocence after a photo of him in handcuffs circulated on social media. Kansas City Police confirmed he was not suspected in the shooting, and his attorney emphasized that he was simply a Chiefs fan who was detained for not moving out of the police officers' way fast enough. Tennessee congressman Tim Burchett wrongly identified Loudermill as a shooter and an illegal alien, but later retracted his statement, prompting calls for an apology and concerns over Loudermill receiving death threats.
Country star Chris Young addressed the "false accusations" following his arrest for assaulting an officer at a Nashville bar, expressing gratitude for the support and announcing the release of a new single. Charges were dropped after surveillance footage showed discrepancies with the arrest affidavit, prompting the Nashville District Attorney to dismiss the case. Young, known for hits like "I'm Comin' Over," is set to release his upcoming album "Young Love & Saturday Nights" in March.
A California couple, Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn, were vindicated after being accused of staging their own kidnapping, reminiscent of the movie "Gone Girl." The Vallejo Police Department initially dismissed their 2015 abduction as an orchestrated event, leading to months of public scrutiny. However, their attacker, Matthew Muller, was eventually captured, and evidence linked him to the crime. He pleaded guilty to federal kidnapping and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Despite the ordeal, the couple married in 2018, released a book about their experience, and welcomed daughters in 2020 and 2022.
Jurors in the defamation trial against Rudy Giuliani heard voicemail threats, including messages like "Eat sh*t and die," received by election workers he falsely accused.
Elon Musk is being sued by a California man for boosting posts that falsely linked him to a neo-Nazi group and suggested he was a government agent. The lawsuit accuses Musk of libel and seeks over $1 million in damages. The man, Ben Brody, claims that Musk's actions caused emotional distress, led to doxxing and harassment, tarnished his reputation, and could harm his future job prospects. Since acquiring X (formerly known as Twitter), Musk has faced criticism for allowing misinformation and hate speech on the platform.
Republicans will attempt to censure Rep. Adam Schiff again for making "false accusations" about former President Donald Trump's collusion with Russia. The previous censure resolution was voted down because it included a $16 million fine against Schiff, which some Republicans argued violated the Constitution. However, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has reached an agreement with those 20 Republicans on new censure language that drops the fine and accuses Schiff of making "false" statements and allegations about Trump-Russia collusion. Schiff accused Republicans of helping Trump distract the public from his ongoing legal battles about holding classified documents.
Jury deliberations are expected to resume in the case of Katie Sorensen, a former Sonoma woman who falsely accused a Petaluma couple of trying to abduct her children in December 2020. Sorensen repeated her false claims in an Instagram video that was viewed more than 4 million times. The jury must decide whether Sorensen truly believed the couple tried to kidnap her children or whether her false accusations caused enough damage for her to be convicted of filing false police reports. Sorensen is charged with three misdemeanor counts of making a false report of a crime and could be sentenced to as much as 18 months in jail if convicted.
A Stanford University employee, Jennifer Ann Gries, has been charged with lying about being raped twice on campus by a Black man. Authorities found evidence that Gries made up the accusations about a co-worker whom she also falsely claimed to be dating. Both of Gries's sexual assault examination kits were analyzed as priority rushes, but the lab results were not consistent with her story. Gries was charged with two felony counts of perjury and two misdemeanor counts of inducing false evidence.
Eleanor Williams has been sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for lying about being raped and trafficked by an Asian grooming gang, and making false rape claims against several other men. Her allegations went viral on social media, sparking a global solidarity campaign, Justice for Ellie, and leading to hate crimes and community tensions. Williams had six mobile phones she used to create fake identities and manipulated Snapchat accounts to make them look like they were Asian abusers. The judge criticised her for showing no significant signs of remorse and warned that genuine victims may be reluctant to come forward as a result of her lies.
