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Rhye singer Michael Milosh’s malicious charges against his ex-wife Alexa Nikolas were dropped by the court in early February following an anti-SLAPP motion by Nikola’s lawyers, according to documents examined by Rolling Stone. The decision comes nearly six months after the singer first sued Nikolas’ lawyers over allegations that they knowingly brought a “frivolous” lawsuit against him that lacked “any legal basis” regarding allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
Nikolas, an actress best known for her role on the Nickelodeon series Zoey 101, filed her first lawsuit against Milosh in 2021, accusing her ex-husband of sexual abuse and grooming. Nikolas dropped their case last year, and Milosh filed his malicious charges in late August, denying the allegations. Nikolas has told Rolling Stone that she plans to refile her case and reiterated that position following the court ruling. Attorneys Karen Menzies, Deborah Mallgrave, Brian Williams and Jemma Dunn and the law firms Gibbs Law and Greenberg Gross were listed as defendants.
“His malicious charge was malicious charge,” Nikolas said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “I’ll refill.”
Defendants first petitioned in November 2022 to file the lawsuit as an unlawful strategic lawsuit against public participation — or an anti-SLAPP motion. The court granted the motion on February 9. The court also awarded the defendants attorneys’ fees of nearly $6,000 per filing.
In a statement to Pitchfork, which first reported the filing, Menzies expressed his relief. “That court ordeal was difficult,” she said, “but I view this anti-SLAPP ruling as a badge of honor for defending sexual assault survivors.” Trending
Milosh isn’t the first artist to bring malicious charges following allegations of sexual misconduct; Last October, Bob Dylan’s attorneys similarly sued the attorneys of an unnamed woman who accused Dylan of sexually assaulting her as a child in 1965. (The woman filed her lawsuit in 2021 and withdrew her case in July 2022.) A representative for Milosh did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the court’s motion. Milosh has repeatedly denied allegations of sexual assault. “I am plagued by horrible and hateful lies,” Milosh previously told Rolling Stone. “I reiterate that these allegations are blatantly false and the fabricated stories are demonstrably untrue.”
Nikolas has spent the last few months protesting music industry institutions, including Milosh’s management company Red Light Management, claiming they encourage sexual misconduct in the music business and calling for change. As she wrote on Twitter, she plans to protest against red lights again this week.
