Australian singer Dean Lewis has issued a new statement after losing a Dutch court case against his alleged ex-partner, Sanne van Ooijen. The Amsterdam District Court dismissed his attempt to stop her speaking publicly about a relationship she alleges was abusive, and ordered him to pay her legal costs.
In a press release sent to PEDESTRIAN.TV, van Ooijen’s lawyer Merel Teunissen alleged the case stemmed from a two and a half year relationship between van Ooijen and Lewis, who she had been a devoted fan of.
In the release, Teunissen alleges that “at the heart of the case was the fact that Sanne van Ooijen had been in a relationship for two and a half years with Dean Lewis — the world-famous pop star and singer she had been a devoted fan of. A relationship she experienced as a victim, as she felt it had been abusive”.
It goes on to allege that “other young female fans have reported similar experiences with him — a pattern that has been widely covered in the press and for which Dean Lewis himself publicly apologised in a seven-page post on Instagram.
According to the press release, Lewis first responded with “multiple demand letters from his Australian lawyer, followed by a demand letter from his Dutch lawyer and ultimately culminated in summary proceedings”.
Van Ooijen told the court she only began to understand the relationship differently after it ended and after seeing other women’s stories online.
During the hearing she claimed, “I came across so many different stories from other girls on social media sharing their experiences with Dean. And that’s when it really hit me — I wasn’t crazy, it wasn’t my fault. What he did to me is not okay, and I’m allowed to feel that way and talk about it, because that is how I experienced it. And it appears to be a pattern that repeats itself with him, based on what I’ve seen and heard.”
The Amsterdam District Court rejected all seven of Lewis’ claims and found that van Ooijen does not have to retract her statements. The court specifically addressed her use of the word “abusive”, noting: “The use of the word ‘abusive’ does not therefore (automatically) constitute an accusation of criminal conduct. The fact that Van Ooijen retrospectively described her relationship in those terms, as that is how she felt, is not unlawful.”
Teunissen, in her statement to PEDESTRIAN.TV, described the ruling as a significant outcome for her client.
“I find it enormously courageous that Sanne refused to be intimidated by a world-famous pop star with deep pockets, who first instructed an Australian lawyer and later a Dutch lawyer to make far-reaching legal demands,” she told P.TV.
“A pattern he is now repeating with other women — women who unfortunately do not have access to legal assistance and therefore yield to those sweeping legal demands. Sanne chose not to be silenced and fought back through legal means. With success!”
Lewis’ team has strongly criticised the ruling. “This ruling is based on a critical error: Ms. van Ooijen did not identify Dean. That is wrong. She did,” a spokesperson for Lewis told Rolling Stone in a statement.
“The Court did not find her allegations true, nor did it determine the underlying facts. Ms van Ooijen has also said she would cease making statements about Dean. She has not done so. The evidence against Ms. van Ooijen is overwhelming,” the spokesperson continued.
“The truth will come out.”
The Daily Telegraph reports that Lewis has been ordered to pay van Ooijen’s legal costs of €1707 (about AUD $2862).
The judgment comes after months of allegations from multiple women online which led to a lengthy apology posted by the singer on Instagram last October after leaked private messages and videos fuelled claims about inappropriate behaviour with fans.
In that statement, he acknowledged why people were “angry and disappointed”, while maintaining he did not believe he had done anything illegal. Following the statement, Lewis said that he attended rehab and the “Waves” singer has also since been dropped by Universal Music Group.
Lewis has taken legal action against three other parties, including Evie Smith, who recently posted an apology on her TikTok for posting “things about Dean that weren’t true and misled people”.
“I also used my TikTok account to bring more attention to claims for others without knowing if they were true and what I did turned into a campaign against Dean,” she said in her video.
“I made serious claims without properly checking them and I shouldn’t have done that. What I did was wrong.”
Despite the controversy, Lewis has since returned to touring and releasing music, while saying in public statements that he intends to continue pursuing what he describes as “malicious lies”.
PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to WME, who represents Lewis, for comment.
The post ‘Truth Will Come Out’: Dean Lewis Issues Statement After Losing Dutch Court Case appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
