Late last year, Conor Oberst was accused of raping a woman after a Bright Eyes show in 2003. In February, he sued his accuser, Joanie Faircloth, for libel, claiming his reputation had been damaged by her accusations.
Now, Faircloth, whose real name is Joan Elizabeth Harris, has recanted her statements in a public apology. She wrote:
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.
A representative for Oberst said the apology was sent today after seven months of attempts to reach Faircloth.
