On November 14, 2017, Allen wrote to the Pinegrove label and to the organizer of a festival where the band was scheduled to perform, alluding to the #MeToo momentum and accusing Hall of “predatory and manipulative behavior toward women.” She stated that she was in touch with a woman accusing Hall of sexual coercion and that this victim was “NOT THE FIRST” (caps in the original email, which Pitchfork reviewed). She also suggested that Hall should step away from performing and get therapy (which she volunteered to provide through PunkTalks); that both the band’s tour and the release of its first album, Skylight, should be canceled; and that a public statement should be made about the situation.
Two days later, in an internal email to the PunkTalks team, Allen wrote that if those conditions were not met, “the original victim and another identified victim plan to speak publicly, which we support 10000%.” She also referred to herself as “working directly to take down the biggest band in indie right now,” a statement from which she backtracked on Twitter several months later.
Pitchfork reports that the accuser subsequently distanced herself from Allen, saying that she never intended to go public and never demanded a public statement from Pinegrove or Hall. However, the accuser did (by her own account) contact various band affiliates to tell them that Hall had “sexually coerced” her. Under the circumstances, the “request” to take time off and go into therapy sounds more like an offer you can’t refuse.
The Pitchfork story also reveals more detail of Hall’s alleged “coercion.” According to a mediator who had worked with Hall and the “alleged victim,” the woman “felt that he coerced her into cheating on her partner with him, and she felt that she said no to him several times…and he continued to pursue her.” On the other hand, “Hall maintained that their relationship progressed mutually but acknowledged the alleged victim’s ‘right to describe her experience however feels true to her.’”
Hall’s other “identified victim” mentioned by Allen turns out to be a Phoenix-based educator and organizer named Autumn Lavis — who emphatically told Pitchfork that she had not been victimized by Hall.
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