Update 2 (10/1/14): Yasmine has taken to her official Tumblr to say a few personal thoughts regarding the whole controversy that begun after Rainman filed a lawsuit against her and her sister. Yasmine reiterates that they\’re waiting for the truth to come out, but that she still believes Kris is like a brother to her. You can read it in its entirety below:
Today was 1 of the most emotional days of my life. I know I don’t even have to explain why, as the whole internet-sphere knows by now, but reading so many false claims about my sister and me coming straight from Kris cut me deeper than anything I’ve experienced in my life. I can’t say much as this is a legal issue (and I hope that none of you will ever experience a lawsuit and know what it feels like not to be able to defend yourself to avoid MORE false claims) but truthfully all I really want to say right now is thank you. Even though only one side of a story was put on blast, every single person who texted, called, DMed, and emailed me today had nothing but support in their words. Without even hearing what I had to say, they already saw through the bullshit and knew the truth. That to me is more powerful than anything, this orb of love that I have surrounding me. I straight up feel like Harry Potter who is impervious to Voldemort’s ill will with the strength and care of my family, boyfriend, friends, and KREW. You guys never cease to amaze me with your genuine concern and care that you have for my sister and me. I am forever grateful to those who send us good vibes every day, I truly feel it from wherever you guys are in the world. Please just always remember: don’t buy the hype, don’t fall for a catchy headline. Just because you read it on your favorite blog doesn’t mean it true. Thank you guys again for your unending support.
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Choosing a \’side\’ is terrible. I don’t want anyone to take this situation as an opportunity to pity or criticize either party. From the bottom of my heart, Kris has and always will be my brother and he knows that. I would never ask anyone to feel or speak ill of him. I hope you all can understand that it is a waste of an emotion to hate someone, and that is exactly what I am trying to avoid right now. There is only 1 real message we’ve always tried to spread, and that is to spread love. Thank you guys again for the support.
Update (9/30/14 7:52 CST): Jahan and Yasmine have officially released a short statement via Facebook about the current status of Krewella. They\’re alleging that Kris resigned, and telling fans not to jump to conclusions, stating \”there are two sides to every story\”. Now – we\’re not lawyers, but it seems pretty bold of Rainman to sue someone if he just resigned himself. Krewella also states that they\’re working on their 2nd album, which could actually get pushed off if Kris owns any intellectual rights or any part of the music produced on the album. This is getting very messy. Read Jahan and Yasmine\’s statement:
Krewella has been one of the fastest rising stars within the EDM world, and their countless hits, on the radio and in the festivals, undoubtedly proves that. However, it\’s not all glitz and glamour behind the scenes.
In a new lawsuit against the other members, Rainman aka Kris Trindl is alleging that after entering rehabiliation to help battle his alcoholism, that Jahan and Yasmine Yousef of Krewella, were attempting to \”establish themselves to live audiences as a duo without Kris\”. This lawsuit is seeming to be a large one, with Kris seeking $5 million in damages for both kicking him out and allegedly violating an oath between the trio. In more technical terms, Kris is stating that they acted with oppression, fraud and/or malice, and is suing for declaratory and injunctive relief, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and imposition of constructive trust, as well as violation of the Lanham Act.
The lawsuit also states that the Yousef sisters along with their social media strategist, Jake Udell, had been working to get Trindl out of the group even after Trindl was seeking treatment for alcoholism and residing at Udell\’s house:
At this time, Udell, the Yousaf sisters and others conspired to remove Kris from the group altogether,
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Now that the band was successful, they figured they could always hire outside people to write and produce music for far less money than it would cost to continue splitting their income equally with Kris, as they have done (one-third to each member).
Trindl adds that the sisters have taken numerous actions to present themselves as a duo sans him, such as creating billboards and promotional posters without him in the picture. The whole lawsuit is pretty messy and you can read the whole thing below. If Kris is to win this lawsuit, it\’s likely that Jahan and Yasmine will need (or will want) to find a new name – the documents state that Kris is entitled to a large chunk of the monies received under the \”Krewella\” moniker. One thing is sure, it\’s likely Krewella will never be the same.
