Conor Oberst's Rape Accuser: I Lied to Get Attention

By
Getty Images

The woman who publicly accused Bright Eyes rocker Conor Oberst of rape is now recanting her statements.
Back in December 2013, Joanie Faircloth commented on various online posts that she had been raped by Oberst a decade prior. Oberst took legal action in February, filing a libel lawsuit against her.

Now, Faircloth is admitting that her statements were "100% false." Read her full statement below, via BuzzFeed.

"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."


According to Jezebel
, Faircloth was unresponsive to attempts at contact from Oberst’s legal team. In his libel suit, Oberst called Faircloth’s claims "an insult to the millions of actual rape victims around the world." It is unclear how the lawsuit will proceed.

Oberst released his latest album, Upside-Down Mountain, on May 19. It peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.