A woman named Joan Elizabeth Harris who accused the Bright Eyes frontman of raping her last year has admitted that she created the story 'to get attention.'
- Jul 15, 2014
AceShowbiz - A woman who previously claimed that Conor Oberst had raped her has recanted her story, admitting that she lied about it. In a statement released on Monday, July 14, the woman named Joan Elizabeth Harris a.k.a. Joanie Faircloth said that she created the story to gain attention.
"The statements I made and repeated online and elsewhere over the past six months accusing Conor Oberst of raping me are 100|percent| 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," read the statement obtained by Pitchfork.
"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," it continued.
Back in December, Harris claimed that the Bright Eyes frontman raped her after a 2003 concert in North Carolina when she was 16. Oberst sued her for defamation in February and asked $1.2 million in damages. Harris did not appear in any hearings for the case.
