Anti-Flag‘s former frontman Justin Sane has been ordered to pay accuser Kristina Sarhadi nearly $2 million in her sexual assault lawsuit against the punk-rock singer.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brenda K. Sannes handed down the decision on Tuesday, awarding Sarhadi a default judgment against Sane — real name Justin Geever — for $1,170,800 and an additional $750,000 in punitive damages.
Sarhadi, a New York holistic therapist and health coach, was a longtime Anti-Flag fan until October 2010, when she alleged Geever violently raped her after attending a party together in upstate New York. She came forward about her experience in July 2023, saying, “I can’t stress how violent he was and how much I fully believed I was going to die, that he was going to kill me.”
Although Sarhadi did not initially name Geever, Anti-Flag fans quickly surmised who she was referring to, and the band disbanded and wiped its social media pages within hours. Geever later issued a denial, saying he had “never engaged in a sexual relationship that was not consensual.”
In November 2023, Sarhadi sued Geever for sexual assault and battery, detailing the extensive trauma she’s endured in the wake of the incident, including frequent night terrors and suicidal ideation.
Geever never formally responded to the lawsuit despite multiple attempts to serve him at his Pittsburgh home. A clerk of court found Geever in default after Sarhadi’s attorney, John McAllister, wrote to the court last April, stating, “Geever is fully aware of the lawsuit [and] has transferred his assets out of the country, and plans to or already has fled the United States.” (Geever allegedly maintains dual citizenship and has an Irish passport.)
McAllister noted he was briefly in contact with Geever’s commercial attorney about possibly settling the case, but their line of communication went dark and Geever’s attorney “refused to accept service on his client’s behalf.”
In a statement to Rolling Stone following the judgement, Sarhadi blasted Geever’s “silence, absence and cowardice” and said she’s “humbled” by the support that she’s received from other survivors over the past two years since coming forward.
“Judge Sannes’ careful decision in my case feels like a beacon of hope in a time of emboldened misogyny and unchecked power,” Sarhadi wrote. “While every survivor knows there is no appropriate compensation for the harms we’ve suffered, I am indescribably grateful for the opportunity to be witnessed and the validation of being believed.
“Geever’s silence, absence, and cowardice simply prove what I have known privately for 15 years: There are no heroes,” she adds. “Not all who have the stage deserve the spotlight. And there are helpers, supporters, and allies all around us, if we find the courage to use our voice.”
Sarhadi went on to say that she will “likely spend another decade or two repairing and recovering my life.” “But I’m proud of every person who has used this moment to give their shame back to their perpetrator, proud of myself for not backing down, and humbled by the solidarity of survivors on every continent,” she adds. “I am no longer heartbroken by Geever’s betrayal. I’m enraged that patterns of abuse like his continue to escalate in every arena, and more determined than ever to expose and disrupt them.”
Rolling Stone has contacted Geever and his last known attorney for comment.
In September 2023, Sarhadi and 12 more women spoke to Rolling Stone to accuse Geever of predatory behavior, sexual assault, and statutory rape across the U.S. and Europe. The women had stories that dated back to the 1990s and were as recent as 2020. Many described themselves as devoted fans who shaped their social and political beliefs around Geever and the band’s messaging, only for Geever to allegedly exploit his position for his sexual gratification.
“I had no idea it happened to anyone else,” Sarhadi previously told Rolling Stone. “I felt stupid, embarrassed, and confused, because how could it have happened with this person? He is the anti-rape singer. They are the outspoken feminist band who released an album benefiting women victims of crime. It doesn’t make any sense. [But] even in nature, the worst predators have the best camouflage.”
Sarhadi’s lawsuit was filed under New York’s Adult Survivors Act — a 2022 act that opened up a one-year window for victims of sexual offenses to file a civil suit against their abuser regardless of statute of limitations.
In Sannes’ 23-page decision and order, she referred to previous court decisions that found a high sum in punitive damages can be awarded where “the wrong complained of is morally culpable, or is actuated by evil and reprehensible motives, not only to punish the defendant but to deter him.”
“Defendant sexually assaulted Plaintiff and “shattered [her] emotional well-being,” causing life-long ramifications years after the attack,” Sannes added. “Defendant’s conduct is even more morally reprehensible because he used his fame and status to lure a much younger fan into his hotel room under false pretenses.”
