Summary (read more) | Coleman VS Grand

Summary of Maria Grand's false accusations of rape against Steve Coleman; quickly proving that Grand is knowingly lying.

This is a scandal in our creative music community of very large consequence. Many individuals who conspired with Maria Grand would like this to go away.

The point of this defense is not to embarrass anyone. Maria Grand has accused me of very serious criminal sexual acts, and I have the right to defend myself.

Grand has been aided by co-conspirators, some of whom I will identify by name, who have refused to publicly admit helping Grand to harm me.

Unlike Grand’s false forced sex narrative, everything I am writing is supported by evidence.

Grand is not the victim that she is portraying herself to be. Contrary to what some people think, every woman is not telling the truth, and every man is not a predator.

Some of my proof contains objectionable language, because this is the way that Grand really speaks in private. And I am not even close to disclosing the most objectionable language, which has been submitted as evidence, and is on the public court docket.

What I am posting here is factual evidence that has been shared with Grand and her lawyers – they KNOW ALL of this, they simply won’t admit it and are gaslighting the public by proclaiming that Grand is a victim. Most of what is below is on the public court docket.

—

Some people have asked me why I keep defending myself. I’m doing this for the following reasons:

Grand’s false criminal accusations are STILL harming me and are STILL causing some of my work to be cancelled.

Grand has refused for years to admit that she is lying, publicly or privately. Therefore I will continue to expose Grand for the hateful liar that she is. I have no wish to harm Grand or anyone else. I am defending myself and I simply want the truth to be revealed.

Grand and her unethical lawyers are now pretending like Grand never spread these knowingly false criminal accusations of forced sex. Grand is moving on with her career while still pretending to be a victim and a person who cares about suffering on this planet. This is horrible gaslighting.

There are many musicians, music journalists and others who supported Grand, either implicitly or explicitly, and who are now hiding, not questioning Grand’s accusations, not caring if her accusations are true or not, and not publicly addressing any of this poison. Many of these individuals are scared to speak up because of their previous involvement. This includes (but is not limited to) the following individuals: Harvard professor and pianist Vijay Iyer (one of the ring leaders who immediately supported Grand without needing to see a shred of evidence), UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts Assistant Professor of Music and percussionist Rajna Swaminathan, pianist Aaron Parks, 2025 Rome Prize Fellow and vocalist Jen Shyu, cellist Okkyung Lee, vibraphonist Joel Ross, saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, pianist James Francies, publicist Matthew Merewitz, journalists Rob Saffer, Michelle Mercer, Anastasia Tsioulcas, Natalie Weiner, and many others who are afraid to speak up, and afraid that they made a mistake and supported the wrong person.

It is incredible that one person who is not even from the United States can cause so much division in our creative music scene.

Journalists like Michelle Mercer, Anastasia Tsioulcas, Natalie Weiner and Nancy Dillon rapidly report on sexism and sexual harassment in the music industry – when it is a man who is being accused of wrongdoing (and there are many examples, including my own dispute). But these same journalists have buried their heads in the sand when it is a woman making false accusations of sexual harassment against a man. And especially when it is a younger white woman falsely accusing an older black man; Mercer, Tsioulcas, Weiner and Dillon appear to be even less interested in reporting on or getting at the truth. And to be clear, the truth can only be determined through evidence – not based on what either Grand or I claim.

To be fair, to my knowledge, Mercer has not commented on my case publicly. But beginning in November 2017, Mercer did take part in a secret email chain that Grand and Iyer conspired to put together. This secret group plotted and discussed blackballing me and stopping me from working, based on nothing more than Grand’s word and zero evidence, without vetting Grand. Grand later (in October 2018) attempted to manipulate Mercer into publishing a damaging article on me, which Mercer wisely refused.

But Tsioulcas, Weiner and Dillion had no problem echoing Grand’s lies, with Tsioulcas working for months with Grand to prepare a damaging expose; and with Weiner and Dillion actually publishing hit pieces that echoed Grand’s damaging lies. Not that any of them KNEW that Grand was lying, but none of them cared to vet Grand (which would involve speaking with me as well). Mercer has refused to talk to me regarding this dispute (not even off the record). Tsioulcas and Weiner NEVER contacted me at all. Dillon pretended to ‘check‘ with me, but only AFTER she wrote her articles, which is pointless. And all of them now appear uninterested in my claims (and proof) that Grand is lying.

I am STILL open to speaking to any of them.

Male journalists have been even more reluctant to report, understandably worried about being attacked by the politically correct cancel culture crowd. Those individuals who have seen evidence and defended me have instantly been publicly attacked, without the attackers knowing anything about this dispute beyond the visual – younger white woman vs. older black man.

Organizations like the We Have Voice Collective (WHV) were quick to lecture the creative music scene on the way men should behave with women. However when one of their own founding members (Grand) is making false accusations of forced sex (and at least some WHV members KNOW that Grand is lying), then they suddenly vanish and don’t want to speak up. Ever since I exposed Grand as a liar, WHV has been strangely silent and inactive.

Most of these individuals know that Grand is a liar.

—

Grand’s own lawyers know that Grand is lying.

Grand’s lawyers sat through Grand’s devastating April 17, 2019 deposition and watched Grand get caught lying under oath repeatedly (which is a crime called perjury).

One outrageous instance of this; during her deposition (all of which was video recorded and transcribed by a stenographer), Grand was presented with an July 4, 2011 email, in which Grand – unsolicited – offered to perform an explicit quid pro quo sexual act on me, in exchange for me teaching Grand and taking her to Chicago to meet my mentor Von Freeman. To be clear, this ridiculous offer was Grand’s unsolicited proposition. When confronted with this document, Grand panicked and immediately began to lie (under oath) and state that I somehow made her make this offer! As if I was capable of some sort of mind control.

My lawyer then presented my contemporaneous email response where I told Grand to NEVER offer herself sexually to anyone to obtain anything. I then told Grand that if she wanted to become a better musician, she simply needed to practice, and that she did not need me for this. I further told her that she should go back to her previous boyfriend, saxophonist Tivon Pennicott.

This is the EXACT opposite of the demonizing narrative that Grand presents in her defamatory Letter(s) – where Grand, without evidence, explicitly states that I forced her to pay for music lessons with unwanted sex – AND – that I also forced “other young women” to pay for lessons with sex.

No evidence was ever presented, and these “other young women” were never identified. However, subpoenaed documents reveal that Grand asked vocalist Jen Shyu (with whom I had an approximately 3-year intimate relationship), bassist Linda Oh and vocalist Sarah Serpa (all of whom I had given private lessons) if I ever did anything improper to them.

Grand was projecting.

1. I did not know anything about the October 2018 Daily News article before that Grand is referring to, before it was published. These were the types of actions that Grand was doing, as Grand had been contacting journalists and trying to get them to publish her lies since November 2017, when Grand sent her forced sex accusations to many music journalists, including Ben Ratliff of the NY Times, Michelle Mercer of NPR, Julie Neupert of SouthWest German Radio, Rob Saffer, Steve Rowland, and many others), and then willfully and illegally obstructed justice by suppressing the evidence of some of these distributions (for example her contacts with Ben Ratliff).

The October 2018 Daily News article was written by a biased journalist named Nancy Dillion, who did not ask me anything about this dispute before she published her article, which is unethical journalism. But this journalist DID ask Grand for her side of the story, several days before the hit piece was published. This was the first of 2 articles that Dillion published, the second November 2018 article being orchestrated by Grand and her lawyers.

2. Grand had been secretly conspiring with another biased NPR journalist named Anastasia Tsioulcas, who also has never contacted me. I call it a conspiracy because I was never contacted, they worked in secret (we only discovered Tsioulcas’ involvement from subpoenaed documents that were issued to 3rd parties), and clearly the goal was to help Grand in her accusations of forced sex without vetting Grand to see if her accusations were true. To be clear, the only way to vet anyone is to get both sides of a narrative.

In July 2018 Grand had blatantly lied to a 3rd party and stated that she was not contacting or talking to journalists about her accusations against me. However, evidence reveals that Grand had been extensively plotting with Tsioulcas since June 2018. Liars keep lying.

We learn from Grand’s communication with Linda Oh that in October 2018, upon learning that I had filed a defamation lawsuit against her, Grand asked Oh if I had ever done anything inappropriate with Oh (also revealing that Grand was also asking Serpa and Shyu the same). Grand then reveals that she had contacted NPR’s Michelle Mercer regarding my lawsuit, and tried to manipulate Mercer into publishing a damaging article containing Grand’s lies, clearly in retaliation for me filing my lawsuit (none of this would be a big deal, except that Grand’s entire accusations that I forced her to engage in unwanted sex is false to begin with). Mercer wisely refused, so Grand then contacted NPR’s Tsioulcas, who agreed to help Grand without vetting Grand (Tsioulcas had been conspiring with Grand since June 2018). In the end, Grand and her lawyers went with Dillion, as I stated above.

ALL of this proves that Grand, who asked 3 female journalists in a row to publish her lies against me, was determined to harm my career by getting an article published echoing her lies, which she did. Whatever articles Grand would’ve published would be based on lies, as Grand’s original criminal accusations of forced sex are knowingly false from the outset.

3. In 2019, Grand repeatedly lied under oath AND illegally obstructed justice by hiding her 3rd party communications that would reveal that she was lying.

If Grand’s original accusations were really true, then there would be no need for Grand to risk lying under oath and obstructing justice. Only a liar would make knowingly false statements under oath, and also attempt to illegally hide evidence. During discovery, Grand was warned by a magistrate judge to turn over her communications with 3rd parties, and Grand willfully refused to do so. For example, Grand illegally suppressed at least 212 pages of her devastating communications with Vijay Iyer that hid their secret conspiracies against me, proving Grand’s willful obstruction (and also proving that Iyer had been lying to me for well over a year). And Grand suppressed many more documents. The documents that Grand chose to suppress were the very documents that revealed that Grand was both lying, and had initiated numerous conspiracies against me by manipulating multiple 3rd parties to help harm my career.

As one of many examples, Grand knowingly lied in her deposition and stated that she never contacted Mercer regarding my lawsuit.

Grand’s testimony from her April 17, 2019 Deposition:
“I have not communicated with Michelle regarding this lawsuit.”
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 82-6 Filed 10/24/19 Page 217-218 of 422 PageID #: 1007-1008

As can be seen from Grand’s communication with Linda Oh – Grand knowingly lied under oath – which is the crime of perjury. Grand also suppressed her responsive communications with Tsioulcas, and never mentioned Tsioulcas’ name when asked which individuals (and journalists) did she contact – which is the crime of obstruction of justice. Finally Grand’s lawyers denied in court documents that they (Grand, her lawyers and a PR firm now called SKDK) contacted Dillion and orchestrated a November2018 hit piece on me that was extremely damaging.

Of course it is a criminal act to force anyone to engage in unwanted sex, using any method of force (physical and/or coercive).

Of course, even after the evidence revealed that she was lying, Grand continued to try and lie. But there is independent documentation that Grand is lying. During that exact same time period when I rejected Grand manipulative sexual offer – Grand confessed to saxophonist Antoine Roney that she had attempted to manipulate me sexually, and that I rejected her offer and got angry. AND, there exists separate written evidence that Grand contemplated doing the exact same thing with another older black musician.

—

This is what happens when you lie. Your lies fall apart when you are vetted using evidence. I did not start this. It was Grand who made the decision to harm my career by creating and distributing criminal accusations of forced sex to scores of musicians, to multiple music journalists, etc., in an effort to harm my career. We discover people lying every day, men, women and children, in our personal lives, all the way up to the presidency. And the easiest way to get away with the lying is to make sure that vetting never occurs.

This is what Grand and her lawyers are trying to do. Rather than admit that she is lying, or coming up with the evidence for her heinous accusations that Grand claimed that she possessed; Grand and her lawyers are trying everything to avoid a jury trial.

If Grand (or anyone else) distributes criminal accusations of kidnapping, sexual assault and years of repeated forced unwanted sex, then she should back up these heinous criminal accusations with evidence; particularly when she claimed that she possessed plenty of evidence:

Grand’s November 2017 accusation Letter(s):
“In any case, I would rather get everything off my chest; if someone wants to judge me at least I won’t have anything to hide. I have had to re-traumatize myself by going through a huge amount of text messages and I have proof for most of what I’m talking about here. If you’d like to see text messages please message me.”
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 87-1 Filed 10/24/19 Page 5 of 8 PageID #: 2085

We have gone through almost a year of discovery in 2019. Grand has produced ZERO evidence that was not fabricated. But Grand and her lawyers did get caught attempting to deceive the court using bogus evidence. And I’m not afraid to say this in public, because we have proof.

—

Many of the musicians who conspired with Grand have been mentored by me. They either don’t have the courage to speak up (as many are complicit in helping Grand), or they simply don’t care about our creative music scene. Some have told me to be quiet and let this dispute fade. But this will happen to another man or woman if we let it slide. When bullies are not confronted, they only get worse.

And yes, women can be bullies also, frequently manipulating others into doing their work for them. This is EXACTLY what Grand it doing. She is being helped by organizations and individuals who did not vet her, and are now covering their backs. According to Grand, she has received support from the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, her high profile lawyers, and many musicians (Vijay Iyer is one of the more high profile musicians), multiple journalists and concert promoters, all of whom either failed to vet Grand, or were not interested in properly vetting her.

My lawsuit has been stalled in the courts for years, as the courts certainly do not work swiftly. And I have been told by several institutions that until my dispute is solved, they will not hire me.

Grand and her lawyers have twice attempted to reach a settlement with me in the last year, yet Grand has nothing to offer in any settlement. Without even a shred of remorse, Grand STILL insists that her knowingly false criminal accusations are true – that for years I repeatedly forced Grand to engage in unwanted sex.

Grand’s November 2017 accusation Letter(s):
“However in the last three years of my interaction with him I have been sexually harassed and pushed into saying yes to sexual acts I did not want to do.”
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 102-4 Filed 12/19/19 Page 8 of 9 PageID #: 3182

Interrogatories response of April 22, 2019, a sworn statement researched and prepared by Grand and her lawyers, and signed by Grand:
“He attempted to exclude her from gigs or leave her behind on tours, and refused to communicate with her completely until she complied with his sexual demands. Mr. Coleman further groomed Defendant to create an ongoing abusive power dynamic, in which Defendant felt that she had no choice but to have sexual interactions with him. His abusive actions have caused her shame, humiliation, anxiety, and fear.”
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 87-11 Filed 10/24/19 Page 9 of 31 PageID #: 2284

Interrogatories response of April 22, 2019, a sworn statement researched and prepared by Grand and her lawyers, and signed by Grand:
“From 2013 onward, when Mr. Coleman would refuse to book or solidify gigs or tours unless Defendant had sex with him;”
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 87-11 Filed 10/24/19 Page 10 of 31 PageID #: 2285

And a federal appellate judge can plainly see the obvious point of Grand’s accusations that I forced her to engage in unwanted sex:

Federal Appeals Judge Menashi; 36:10 of 05/13/2022 Oral Arguments:
I mean wouldn’t somebody reading the letter that she wrote think that he is being abusive towards her? I mean, you’re now trying to characterize it as if it’s like; well, I did some things, he did some things. But I mean, the point of her letter was to say, he was harassing me and extracting sex from me against my will.

This is EXACTLY the point of Grand’s accusation Letter(s). And obviously it is a crime for ANYONE to EXTRACT unwanted sex from ANY individual AGAINST THEIR WILL, using ANY method, physical and/or coercive – let alone doing this repeatedly for multiple years!

And the ONLY question should be whether Grand is telling the truth – or knowingly lying:

Federal Appeals Judge Menashi; 33:36 of 05/13/2022 Oral Arguments:
Knowledge of falsity would meet any of those standards, right? [Bailen: Potentially] It seems like the way this case works, it sort of rises or falls on whether the statements are true or false, right? Because she made the statements, and she was there, and she bases, she bases them on firsthand knowledge. So either they’re true, and she knows them to be true, or they’re false, and she would know them to be false. It’s not like she’s advised, [and] she’s writing something secondhand.

At the same time in court and in public, Grand’s lawyers are now, incredibly, claiming that Grand never accused me of anything criminal. As if there is nothing criminal about extorting unwanted sex from someone against their will?

To be clear, Grand’s lawyers KNOW that Grand is a liar (I can easily prove this). They can’t even get their defense straight. They first claimed that I forced Grand to have sex with me.

They later claim that Grand never accused me of anything criminal and was only giving her “opinion” about a “legal and consensual” intimate relationship.

All the while they have unethically continued to help Grand harm my career.

Grand and her lawyers have made knowingly false and/or intentionally misleading public statements professing Grand’s innocence. Yet Grand and her lawyers have yet to publicly address the massive evidence of Grand constantly pursuing me and begging me for sex – in EXACTLY the same time period (October 2013 through September 2016) when Grand knowingly lied and stated – in her accusation Letter(s), in her sworn statements, and in 3rd party communications) – that she did not desire ANY sex with me, not even once.

This alone proves that Grand is knowingly lying.

Grand has also refused to publicly address her lies that I abused and physically beat my ex-wife Geri Allen. Grand discussed her false accusations with Harvard Professor and pianist Vijay Iyer, and with publicist Matthew Merewitz. None of these people will publicly address Grand’s lies (and Iyer knows about more Grand lies than this).

— EVIDENCE —

The opening paragraph of my defamation lawsuit (currently on appeal) is as follows:

1. This action is brought by Plaintiff to recover, inter alia, damages caused by Defendant’s libelous communication of knowingly false statements in numerous emails to the parties’ professional colleagues, friends, and close associates. Upon information and belief, Defendant attached a defamatory letter (the “Letter”) to the aforementioned emails, which contained numerous false statements alleging criminal sexual acts and sexual harassment on the part of Plaintiff.
Case 1:18-cv-05663 Document 1 Filed 10/10/18
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 22 Filed 03/08/19

And this is EXACTLY what has happened.

Beginning in November 2017 and continuing well into 2018, saxophonist María Grand created several versions of Letter(s) that accused me of multiple criminal sexual acts.

Grand has accused me of using my position as a mentor/teacher and as bandleader/employer to repeatedly coerce (i.e., pressure, extortion, blackmail, threats, bullying, etc) unwanted sex from her for multiple years.

Grand has separately accused me of one instance of kidnapping with the intent to rape, and one instance of sexual assault with the intent to rape.

To be clear, forcing anyone (via any method, physical and/or coercive) to engage in unwanted sex is a federal crime (as is kidnaping and sexual assault). Forcing anyone to engage in unwanted sex even once is a crime, let alone repeatedly for years as Grand is alleging).

The Federal criminal statute is 18 U.S. Code § 2242(3) – Sexual Abuse (commonly referred to as Rape).
This statute focuses on unwanted sex obtained via some form of coercion (pressure, extortion, pressure, etc);

“(3) engages in a sexual act with another person without that other person’s consent, to include doing so through coercion; or attempts to do so, shall be fined under this title and imprisoned for any term of years or for life.”

—

The Federal criminal statute for Kidnapping is 18 U.S. Code § 1201, and there is no ambiguity in this description. Obviously this is a crime;

—

The Federal criminal statute for Sexual Assault is called Abusive Sexual Contact – 18 U.S. Code § 2244(b). Obviously it is a crime to touch anyone sexually against their will;

—

Grand then distributed her multiple criminal accusations to scores of my musical colleagues, to multiple (mostly music) journalists, and to multiple concert promoters; in an attempt that Grand admitted under oath she KNEW would harm my career (which is obvious).

The most serious of Grand’s criminal accusations is that I repeatedly forced Grand to engage in unwanted sex throughout the 3 consecutive years following September 2013 (October 2013 through September 2016).

Grand claims in multiple documents that she did not desire ANY sex with me (not even once) in this 3-year time period, and that EVERY sexual act that we engaged in during this time period was both unwanted by Grand, and obtained by me using some form of coercion.

Yet I have presented a plethora of contemporaneous communications between me and Grand that prove that Grand is knowingly lying. Our communications reveal that Grand was chasing me and begging me for sex in every year of our sexual relationship, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 – which includes the 3 consecutive years following September 2013 (October 2013 through September 2016).

NONE of Grand chasing me for sex is included in Grand’s accusation Letter(s). There is not one instance in Grand’s Letter(s) where Grand states that she desired sex from me AND pursued sex from me – at any time – including after September 2013.

Simply put, this alone proves that Grand is knowingly lying. And there is plenty of other proof as well.

A federal appeals judge questioned Grand’s lawyer about this discrepancy during oral arguments:

Federal Appeals Judge Menashi; 11:56 of 05/13/2022 Oral Arguments:
answer I mean, usually when we apply grossly irresponsible or actual malice, we’re talking about whether, you know, news organizations … sufficiently investigated certain allegations. But here, she was there, right. So she knows what happened or didn’t happen. [Stein: Yes.] So if Mr. Coleman could show that it’s not true. Wouldn’t that show that she was indifferent to the truth, that she said something that’s not true? Because she would’ve had first hand knowledge about whether it’s true?

Stein 12:28 (Coleman lawyer)
It absolutely would, Your Honor. And…

Federal Appeals Judge Menashi; 12:30 of 05/13/2022 Oral Arguments:
So like so, the district court seemed to think that he needed some evidence that, like, some separate evidence that showed that she knew what she was saying was not true. But if in fact, he could show that it’s not true, then she would necessarily know, right, because she was there.

Federal Appeals Judge Menashi; 35:14 of 05/13/2022 Oral Arguments
Are you saying that we have these text messages and so on that show him, her, pursuing him or behaving in a way that somebody wouldn’t behave if the account that she gave was right. That is some evidence supporting his position. Maybe it could be argued the other way. But doesn’t that mean, it’s possible to, for a reasonable jury to reach the other conclusion?

Bailen 35:32 (Grand lawyer)
not in this case, because in this case, what she let what she wrote in her piece was she acknowledged the fact that she was pursuing him at times she acknowledged the fact that she fell in love with him. So the fact that…

Federal Appeals Judge Sullivan 35:43
She acknowledges the fact that she was manipulative, right?

—

This last sentence is exactly the point of Grand’s Letter(s). And the ONLY question should be:

Is Grand telling the truth about me forcing her to engage in unwanted sex, or is Grand knowingly lying?

Grand’s lawyer Bailen was either knowingly lying, or is not very familiar with Grand’s accusation Letter(s). There is not one mention by Grand of her pursuing me for sex. Grand NEVER stated that she desired sex from me and/or that she asked me for sex.

Grand was not subtle in chasing me me for sex, and our communications directly contradict the knowingly false narrative in Grand’s Letter(s).

Grand claimed in multiple documents that she did not desire ANY sex with me after September 2013.

The following are just some examples of Grand’s criminal accusations that I repeatedly forced her to engage in unwanted sex throughout the 3 years following September 2013 (October 2013 through September 2016). The following criminal accusations consist of:

1. forced sex allegations in Grand’s 2017 Letter(s) that she distributed to scores of my musical colleagues, to multiple (mostly music) journalists, and to multiple concert promoters (some forced sex accusations were only distributed to some of my musical colleagues, but always to multiple colleagues);

2. forced sex allegations in Grand’s communications to a music journalist named Steve Rowland (one day after Grand sent Rowland her accusation Letter);

3. forced sex allegations in Grand’s sworn statement submitted to the court;

4. when taken together, it is clear that Grand is accussing me of repeatedly extorting unwanted sex from her;

5. the fact that Grand stated that she did not desire ANY sex from me in the 3 years following September 2013 (see Grand’s Letter(s) as well as Grand’s communication with journalist Steve Rowland) – and the fact that both parties agree that we engaged in plenty of sex (more than I can count) in this exact same time period (October 2013 through September 2016) proves that Grand is stating that every single sexual encounter between us after September 2013 was unwanted by Grand and coerced by me (see Note 1 below);

Grand’s November 2017 accusation Letter(s):
“In September 2013 he broke up with me…. By that point, though, I wasn’t in love with him anymore. I didn’t want to be intimate with him anymore. That period is when the sexual harassment started.”
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 87-1 Filed 10/24/19 Page 4-5 of 8 PageID #: 2084-2085

Grand’s November 16, 2017 email to journalist/documentary maker Steve Rowland:
“I hope my letter makes that clear... I never wanted to be in a relationship with someone that much older than me. It wasn’t something I was craving. But once I became intimate with him all the lines blurred and I felt that I needed him, and I fell for him. I wish I hadn’t, I wish I had more courage, more support, more options, and didn’t go through that. Anyways, after I started resisting his advances, it was only harassment and coercion. I want to stress that again. After September 2013, all I was is harassed. It’s a long time to be harassed. I made it clear many times that I wanted him to stop propositioning me, and he didn’t care. I’m highly annoyed that this was not more clear in my letter and that you felt the need to stress that relationships should be kept out of work. This isn’t about relationships. It’s about abuse and harassment…”
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 92-4 Filed 11/22/19 Page 2 of 81 PageID #: 2738

Grand’s November 2017 accusation Letter(s):
“On tour I would have to sleep with him at the end of the day lest him be absolutely angry and sometimes refuse to rehearse the band the next day.”
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 87-1 Filed 10/24/19 Page 5 of 8 PageID #: 2085

Grand’s November 2017 accusation Letter(s):
“Whenever he offered me more work, he would wait until I actually slept with him to solidify the dates.”
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 87-1 Filed 10/24/19 Page 5 of 8 PageID #: 2085

—

Grand repeatedly refers to the date September 2013 as the date beyond which she did not desire any sex with me.

Yet Grand was propositioning me and pursuing me for sex for YEARS after September 2013, often telling me the exact sexual act that she wanted me to do (usually cunnilingus), and there is NO mention of this in Grand’s accusation Letter(s).

The following communications (all after September 2013) make clear that Grand is not the victim that she is pretending to be. This alone proves that Grand is knowingly lying, and there is much more proof than this.

—

Grand to Coleman:
“Yea, I already told you, I wanted to be with you.” (10/20/2013)
“Ok. I would love to be married to you, but unfortunately I am sure it will not happen.” (12/24/2013)
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 87-3 Filed 10/24/19 Page 5 of 9 PageID #: 2095

“I’m in love with you, it just is what it is.” (12/24/2013)
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 87-3 Filed 10/24/19 Page 5 of 9 PageID #: 2095

“I liked licking you and the moments where we fell asleep” (12/26/2013)
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 35-1 Filed 04/05/19 Page 73 of 152 PageID #: 460

“I’m gonna miss licking ur groin and falling asleep with your wet cum on my ass” (12/26/2013)
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 35-1 Filed 04/05/19 Page 73 of 152 PageID #: 460

—

[2/24/14, 2:00 AM] Maria Grand : Good night. I still care about you.
[2/24/14, 3:05 PM] Maria Grand : My phone is dying and it won’t charge, so I have no way of getting in touch with you. Have a safe trip back.
[2/24/14, 6:22 PM] Steve Coleman : Just landed, just turn on ur Skype and keep it on. Can’t talk until I get through customs.
[2/25/14, 11:23 PM] Steve Coleman : R I close?
[2/27/14, 3:32 PM] Maria Grand : Can u come here so I can smother you? I’m all oiled up.
[2/27/14, 3:36 PM] Steve Coleman :Oil up
[2/27/14, 3:36 PM] Maria Grand :I’m too horny. I’m going to cum before you get here.
[2/27/14, 3:37 PM] Maria Grand : Then you can come in and sink inside me
[2/27/14, 7:19 PM] Steve Coleman : I’ll call after grocery shopping, going to get tofu, saitan and fish.

—

[3/29/14 3:46 PM] Maria Grand (phone number redacted):
I’m still into u.
[3/29/14 3:48 PM] Maria Grand (phone number redacted):
I want u to go down on me.
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 82-11 Filed 10/24/19 Page 30 of 43 PageID #: 1847

—

[9/11/14, 11:22 PM] Steve Coleman : I’m getting hard.
[9/11/14, 11:22 PM] Steve Coleman : As hard as a 60-year old can get!!!! Hahahahaha!
[9/11/14, 11:22 PM] Maria Grand : HAHAHA!
[9/11/14, 11:22 PM] Maria Grand : Ur shit still works.
[9/11/14, 11:23 PM] Steve Coleman : I’ll be 60 in two years, so you made the right choice! Got out before it was too sof… errr, I mean late.
[9/11/14, 11:24 PM] Maria Grand : Hahahahahahahaha! Your tongue still works.
[9/11/14, 11:24 PM] Maria Grand : That’s all I need anyways
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 35-1 Filed 04/05/19 Page 107 of 152 PageID #: 494
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 82-8 Filed 10/24/19 Page 6 of 13 PageID #: 1682

—

[11/16/15, 3:20 AM] Steve Coleman: Can I take your fine ass somewhere and go to bed with you? Your outfit is killing me!
[11/16/15, 3:21 AM] Steve Coleman: I’m in the kitchen
[11/ 16/15, 5:51 AM] Maria Grand: No you can’t. But I guess I’ll let you go down on me in LA. You do it so well.
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 87-3 Filed 10/24/19 Page 5 of 9 PageID #: 2097

Text messages between Coleman and Grand 12/6/2015 in Los Angeles
Coleman: “Judging by how hard u came when u exploded all over my face, I assume u enjoyed yourself. A very wet experience.”
Grand: “Twas nice”
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 35-1 Filed 04/05/19 Page 110 of 152 PageID #: 497

—

[9/3/15, 7:26 PM] Maria Grand : What are you going to do tomorrow night? I’m horny.
[9/3/15, 7:26 PM] Steve Coleman : What are u talking about, tomorrow night?
..
[9/3/15, 7:33 PM] Maria Grand : No… I really am just horny. Not expecting anything. But I could use a licking.
[9/3/15, 7:34 PM] Steve Coleman : Hahahaha!!!! YOU can use a licking????
[9/3/15, 7:34 PM] Maria Grand : yea
…
[9/4/15, 7:44 AM] Maria Grand : If you promise to treat me really nicely and that I’ll only do what I want to do, I’ll come to your room now. So we can get some stress relief.
[9/4/15, 7:46 AM] Maria Grand : Hum, I just got your email. Maybe we can just be nice to each other now…
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 87-3 Filed 10/24/19 Page 6-7 of 9 PageID #: 2096-2097

[9/16/16, 1:52 PM] Maria Grand : I love you, also.
[9/16/16, 2:35 PM] Maria Grand : It’s too bad. I had a surprise for you, but…
[9/16/16, 5:48 PM] Steve Coleman : What surprise? You are an expert teaser.
[9/16/16, 9:58 PM] Maria Grand : well I was gonna tell you, but then you weren’t nice.
…
[9/21/16 10:50 PM] : So I guess that’s the last time I’ll hang with you? Boyfriend time? Anyway, I enjoyed it today. Thanks.
…
[9/22/16 12:01 AM] Maria Grand : About the hang.. Never say never! Glad you enjoyed it.
…
[9/22/16, 5:40 PM] Steve Coleman : Yes, and thank you so much for hanging out again today. That was nice of you to offerk.
[9/22/16, 5:40 PM] Maria Grand : birthday surprise isn’t every day!
[9/22/16, 5:41 PM] Steve Coleman : It is for Harden!
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 35-1 Filed 04/05/19 Page 113 of 152 PageID #: 500

—

This last communication was Grand offering herself to me as a sexual birthday present for my 60th birthday (on September 20). This was not the first time that Grand offered sex for my birthday.

Do these communications sound like a woman who does not want to have sex with me?

Do these communications sound like a woman who does not want to have sex with an older man?

Do these communications sound like a woman who is being forced to engage in unwanted sex?

Remember, Grand stated in multiple knowingly false statements that she did not desire ANY sexual encounters with me in the 3 years following September 2013, that I was too old for her, etc.

And Grand cannot now change her knowingly false accusations of years of repeated forced sex.

If Grand was telling the truth in her accusation Letter(s), then why is she lying about not desiring sex with me for years?

Maria Grand was hitting on me and begging me for sex for years after September 2013.

The above are just some of the lies that Grand has told. And not only did Grand lie in her accusation Letter(s), but we have presented evidence in court briefs that reveal that Grand lied under oath throughout almost 7 hours of her April 17, 2019 deposition (which is perjury), and Grand has obstructed justice by willfully and illegally suppressing hundreds of pages of her responsive 3rd party communications (see Note 2 below).

Maria Grand is KNOWINGLY LYING.

—

Note 1:

This Court should note that Grand seeks to characterize her actions as innocent and in the public interest, but behind the scenes, in communication with her supporters and others, she was asserting the truth of her statements and sending communications clarifying what she wanted her Letter to convey. Grand communicated to journalist Steve Rowland that her accusations had not been strongly worded enough, and clarified her defamatory comment that, after September of 2013, every sexual interaction between Mr. Coleman and herself had been coerced. Grand’s email to Rowland removes any hint of ambiguity regarding what she meant in her Letter.

Ex. A hereto; Grand email to Rowland dated 11/16/17 (MG051552) “I never propositioned him nor would have wanted to;” and “Anyways, after I started resisting his advances, it was only harassment and coercion. I want to stress that again. After September 2013, all I was is harassed;” and “I really strived to make this letter as impartial as I could but now I kind of regret that. I think it might have put too much responsibility on myself.”
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 92 Filed 11/22/19 Page 7 of 23 PageID #: 2712
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 92 Filed 11/22/19 Page 8 of 23 PageID #: 2713

—

Note 2:

Grand repeatedly lied under oath during her deposition. Here are just some examples:

—

Grand lied when she knowingly falsely testified that no one helped her edit her accusation Letter(s). Pianist and co-conspirator Aaron Parks helped Grand to prepare her accusation Letter(s), and Grand did not mention Parks name when asked (under oath) who helped her with her Letter. Grand knew that Parks helped her to prepare her Letter(s), because Grand distributed Parks’ edited versions of her Letter(s) to multiple 3rd parties. Grand also illegally suppressed her communications with Parks that reveal that Parks helped Grand. Only individuals who knows that they are lying would attempt to illegally suppress evidence.

—

Grand lied when she knowingly falsely testified that she did not contact NPR journalist Michelle Mercer about my lawsuit. Upon learning about my lawsuit, Mercer was one of the first individuals that Grand contacted – and in an obvious attempt to retaliate against me, Grand also asked Mercer to publish a damaging article on me. When Mercer wisely refused, Grand then asked NPR reporter Anastasia Tsioulcas, who agreed to conspire with Grand. But Grand and her lawyers eventually selected New York Daily News reporter Nancy Dillion to publish damaging false and misleading allegations against me. These are all actions which Grand admitted under oath that she knew would harm my career (obviously).

—

Grand lied under oath when she knowingly falsely testified that she did not send her accusations to “newspapers” and “news outlets”. As well as Grand lying under oath that she did not contact specific journalists like Michelle Mercer of National Public Radio about my lawsuit – Grand distributed her criminal accusations of forced sex to journalists that worked for the New York Times (Ben Ratliff), The Chicago Reader and The New York Daily News (Nancy Dillon); which are all “newspapers”. Grand also distributed her criminal accusations to journalists who worked for National Public Radio, The BBC, Southwest German Radio, Downbeat, The Wire Magazine, etc. all of which are “news outlets”. Grand knew that she was lying under oath, as we demonstrated with briefs during discovery.

Grand (directly or using proxies), distributed her accusation Letter (accusing me of repeatedly forcing her to engage in unwanted sex for years) to Ben Ratliff (The New York Times), Michelle Mercer (NPR), Anastasia Tsioulcas (NPR), Anne Hilde Neset (The Wire Magazine, UK), Peter Margasak (Downbeat, The Chicago Reader), Rob Saffer (journalist), Julia Neupert (Southwest German Radio), Peter Meanwell (BBC radio), Anil Prasad (journalist), Steve Rowland (documentary producer, radio personality), Julian Benedikt (director, filmmaker, producer), Matthew Merewitz (publicist), PR Firm SKDKnickerbocker (PR firm), Nancy Dillon (New York Daily News), etc. – in an admitted attempt to harm my career. And Grand knew all of this when she knowingly lied about it under oath during her April 17, 2019 deposition.

Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 92 Filed 11/22/19 Page 8 of 23 PageID #: 2713
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 92 Filed 11/22/19 Page 13 of 23 PageID #: 2718
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 92 Filed 11/22/19 Page 14 of 23 PageID #: 2719
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 92 Filed 11/22/19 Page 15 of 23 PageID #: 2720
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 92-4 Filed 11/22/19 Page 47 of 81 PageID #: 2783
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 92-4 Filed 11/22/19 Page 48 of 81 PageID #: 2784
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 92-4 Filed 11/22/19 Page 56 of 81 PageID #: 2792
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 92-4 Filed 11/22/19 Page 57 of 81 PageID #: 2793

—

Grand lied under oath when she knowingly falsely testified that the ‘Code of Conduct’ (the flagship document of the We Have Voice Collective) was unrelated to Grand’s dispute with me. In fact, as revealed by Grand’s communications with Harvard professor, pianist and co-conspirator Vijay Iyer), the draft for the ‘Code of Conduct’ was substantially created by Grand, and Grand based this document on her criminal accusations of forced sex against me.

—

It was revealed in her deposition that Grand was sexually active with two other decades older male musicians, which means that Grand was lying when she stated in her accusation Letter(s) that “I was sexually active but I didn’t even remotely consider the possibility that an older man would tell me something like that. I was really that naive.” – and when Grand knowingly lied to journalist Rowland that “I never wanted to be in a relationship with someone that much older than me. It wasn’t something I was craving.“ Grand was NOT naive and Grand didn’t care about being with older men. As seen above, when I told Grand that I would be 60 years old in a few years, Grand laughed and stated “Your tongue still works. That’s all I need anyways“. So much for Grand being naive and worrying about the ages of the men that she had sex with.

(There are more Grand lies under oath in Note 4)

—
—

Grand willful and illegally suppressed hundreds of pages of responsive documents. Here are just some examples:

—

– Grand willfully and illegally suppressed 212 pages of Grand’s devastating communications with Harvard professor, pianist and co-conspirator Vijay Iyer. This alone proves Grand’s guilt, as who would risk willfully and illegally suppressing hundreds of pages of evidence? (see note 3 below):

—

– Grand willful suppressed 51 pages of Grand’s devastating communications with bassist Anthony Tidd. Tidd knows Grand far better than most people know her. As far as I can tell, Tidd never believed Grand’s lies and innocent act, so it was strange and a huge mistake that Grand would subpoena Tidd for his communications. In the communications between Grand and Tidd (which Grand already possessed but willfully suppressed), Grand lies to Tidd repeatedly, completely contradicting the narrative in Grand’s accusation Letter(s);

—

– Grand willfully and illegally suppressed her communications with co-conspirator and pianist Aaron Parks, which are devastating. Forensic evidence reveals that Grand knowingly lied under oath about Parks helping Grand write her criminal accusation Letter(s) in a clear attempt to harm my career, as Grand’s criminal accusations of forced sex would harm anyone, including Parks;

—

– Grand’s conspiracy communications with publicist Matthew Merewitz, and their direct and sustained attempt to use NPR reporter Anastasia Tsioulcas to harm my career. Tsioulcas agreed to help Grand, and never attempted to contact me to get my side of the story, which is unethical journalism. When I much later attempted to contact Tsioulcas to tell her what was going on, Tsioulcas ignored me (I am still willing to talk to Tsioulcas, and also ask her why she never contacted me). Grand attempted to cover up this harmful conspiracy by suppressing a huge amount of her communications with Merewitz and Tsioulcas, which revealed multiple plots to harm my career;

—

– Grand’s conspiracy with cellist Okkyung Lee (with whom Grand conspired to distribute Grand’s Letter(s) to journalists worldwide that Grand did not even know worldwide, stating in the cover email their goal was to run me out of the music business), etc.

—

The fact that the communications that Grand suppressed always hid either Grand’s lies or Grand’s conspiracies to harm my career, demonstrates Grand’s mens rea and actus reus (this alone proves that Grand is knowing lying);

Grand hiding the very documents that proved that she was lying is proof that Grand is willing to do anything to hide her lies, even break the law.

Grand and her lawyers even brazenly admitted to magistrate Judge Mann that Grand was suppressing her communications with 3rd parties, yet despite us filing an order to compel, our order was denied and Grand continued to illegally suppress her communications with 3rd parties – all of which is willful obstruction of justice.

—

Note 3:

One of the most devastating and traumatizing results of this dispute is how many musicians who I had mentored turned on me and stabbed me in the back. These musicians immediately believed Grand, apparently based on nothing more than her appearance. Grand produced no evidence, and apparently she did not need to.

From the time that I was first informed, in early 2018, that Maria Grand was distributing false accusations of sexual harassment and sexual abuse (forced unwanted sex) against me, I suspected from the outset that there were people helping Grand. I did not believe that Grand was working alone. Having only rumors and no real proof, I began calling my colleagues whom I suspected might have some answers.

Harvard professor and pianist Vijay Iyer was one of those individuals who I had reason to suspect knew what was happening.

When I contacted Iyer he immediately began lying to me. At that point I knew that Iyer was somehow involved, but I did not know how much Iyer was involved until later in 2018 when a whistleblower exposed a major conspiracy that Iyer and Grand had initiated against me.

After I sued Grand for defamation, in 2019 I then requested Grand’s 3rd party communications related to her accusations against me. Besides the substantial evidence that I already possessed that proved that Grand was chasing and begging me for sex (in the same time periods that Grand lied that she did not desire sex), I knew that discovery would yield a treasure trove of incriminating documents.

Since Grand was lying in the first place, I knew that there was no aspect of discovery that would help her case. Every document would only reveal more lies, unless others were willing to lie for her. Many people lie, but not many will risk lying under oath, unless they really have something to hide.

Grand and her lawyers willfully and illegally suppressed Grand’s 3rd party communications, with Grand NEVER submitting her communications with Iyer and with multiple others. So I began subpoenaing others, which is when I discovered some of what Grand was illegally hiding. But there were still some musicians and journalists who risked obstruction and still refused to turn over documents – or only turned over some documents.

Vijay Iyer – a musician who for years I mentored and hired – conspired with Grand and with multiple 3rd parties in multiple attempts to harm my career.

Iyer was Grand’s highest profile co-conspirator (among many co-conspirators), supporting Grand apparently based on nothing more than our physical appearances (age, gender, ethnicity, status, etc). Iyer’s actions certainly were not based on evidence. Grand apparently did not submit any evidence to Iyer or to others to support her forced sex accusations, nor was Grand required to (despite Grand stating in her Letter(s) that she had plenty of evidence).

On or about November 15, 2017, Iyer and Grand conspired and formed a group of approximately 25 musicians and journalists, some of whom secretly and angerily discussed harming my career by blackballing me and erasing me from the scene (i.e., stopping me from gigging, recording, teaching, receiving grants, etc).

This is perhaps one of the biggest scandals that I have known in our small creative music community – and it was totally unnecessary. As I told Iyer, Shyu and others, all they had to do was call me, and I would’ve shown them evidence that Grand was lying.

Instead; Iyer, Shyu and others (many who had known for years about my relationship with Grand) decided to be vigilantes instead of musicians, and mete out justice themselves.

Since Grand claimed that she was being repeatedly forced to engage in unwanted sex for years. then Iyer and the others should’ve advised Grand to take her evidence either to law enforcement, lawyers, or both.

In fact a lawyer that Grand consulted named Lisa Miller advised Grand to do EXACTLY this – and Miller was willing to represent Grand. Grand ignored Miller’s advice. Because Grand was lying, and she certainly did not want to go through any process that involved vetting and submitting evidence. And Grand suppressing hundreds of pages of her responsive 3rd party communications is proof of this.

Multiple members of the future We Have Voice Collective (now inactive) were a part of the communications of this secret group that Grand and Iyer assembled (percussionist Rajna Swaminathan, vocalist Jen Shyu, cellist Okkyung Lee, vocalist Tamar Sella, vocalist Imani Uzuri), as well as multiple music journalists (Michelle Mercer, Rob Saffer, etc). In addition to mentoring Iyer, I have also extensively mentored Grand, Shyu, and Swaminathan. So the betray is extremely triggering.

Iyer, Grand, Swaminathan, Shyu, Lee, Saffer (as well as pianist Aaron Parks) either discussed harming my career and/or took actions that would clearly harm my career.

And these were not the only individuals who conspired to harm my career. Grand also conspired with multiple other musicians, other journalists/publicist (Anastasia Tsioulcas (NPR), Julia Neupert (Southwest German Radio), Matthew Merewitz (publicist), Nancy Dillon (New York Daily News) and several concert promoters in attempts to harm my career.

Grand then attempted to illegally hide these conspiracies from the court, which proves that she was up to no good.

This may be considered to be a coincidence by some – but those individuals in the secret group of Grand and Iyer who believed Grand (and also others who Grand conspired with to harm me, but were not a part of the Grand/Iyer communications) – and who advocated harming me and/or acted to harm me, were ALL non-black.

I explicitly asked Iyer about this. His response was ridiculous. And of course, there is no good response for this.

These non-black individuals are (but not restricted to):

Maria Grand (saxophonist)
Vijay Iyer (Harvard Professor and pianist)
Okkyung Lee (cellist)
Rajna Swaminathan (percussionist)
Jen Shyu (vocalist)
Dan Weiss (drummer)
Stephan Crump (bassist)
Anthony Cheung (composer)
Aaron Parks (pianist)
Rob Saffer (journalist)
Sasha Berliner (vibraphonist)
Amirtha Kidambi (vocalist)
Anastasia Tsioulcas (journalist)
Matthew Merewitz (publicist)

Berliner, Kidambi, Tsioulcas and Merewitz were not included in the Grand/Iyer discussions, but were contacted directly by Grand to initiate separate conspiracies.

Although Okkyung Lee was also actively involved in the Grand/Iyer conspiracy – Grand and Lee were also involved in a separate devastating conspiracy outside of the Grand/Iyer conspiracy – involving emailing Grand’s forced sex accusations to international journalists and requesting my removal from the music industry.

Both Vijay Iyer and Aaron Parks now have enough information to know that Grand was lying to them. Iyer and Parks also now know about the horrible conspiracy of Grand and Lee to harm me. And although Parks (but not Iyer) has apologized to me privately, both pianists refuse to publicly speak on this, and also refuse to publicly admit their roles in helping Grand to harm me.

Several black women in the We Have Voice Collective told me in 2018 that they did not believe Grand. When I asked why, one woman told me that Grand’s narrative of years of repeated forced sex did not make any sense. As this woman put it (and I paraphrase): ‘what woman would continually travel 90+ miles to your house for years to get repeatedly raped’?

Again, none of the individuals that believed Grand had ANY evidence that Grand was telling the truth, and apparently none needed any evidence. None of them attempted to vet Grand. As I said, these individuals believed Grand because of physical appearances. I have asked some of them why they believed Grand, and no one has given me an evidence-based reason.

I do not have any history of raping women. Some have told me that they believed Grand because of “the optics“, which is another way of saying because of our physical appearance.

To repeat, Vijay Iyer then repeatedly lied to me for years about his involvement in Grand’s efforts to harm my career.

Iyer also made what appear to be racist statements about me and three other black male musicians (Greg Osby, Aruan Ortiz, Steve Kirby). Iyer denied to me that the following comment is racist, but he also refuses to publicly address it.

Letter sent by Vijay Iyer, via Jen Shy, to the We Have Voice Collective (WHV) on December 6, 2017:
“Let me add, immediately, that I am not casting doubt on any of the accusers who have courageously come forward in our music scene, publicly or privately, whether using their names or remaining anonymous. It is true that many of the accused are Black men, and many of the accusers are white women; but I want to be clear that I believe every one of the accusers.”

What Iyer needs to explain to our creative music community (and to the public) is the following:

What does the ethnicity of the accused black men (Steve Coleman, Greg Osby, Aruan Ortiz, Steve Kirby) and the white female accusers have to do with whether the black men are believed or not?

Why would Iyer automatically believe the white women without any need for evidence (and by extension, not believe the accused black men)?

Iyer has attempted to explain this to me, in a long recorded June 22, 2020 conversation. Iyer’s explanation made zero sense to me.

But here is the problem. Although I know nothing about the disputes of the other black men, I DO KNOW ALL about my dispute with Grand. And Iyer DID believe Grand’s accusations of forced sex, and DID help Grand to harm me immediately upon receiving her accusation Letter(s). The communications between Grand and Iyer prove this.

– Iyer NEVER attempted to contact me and ask me if Grand’s criminal accusations were true. And Iyer never asked me for evidence that Grand was lying. When I later attempted to show Iyer evidence, he did not want to see it, and continued to support Grand for many months.

– Grand is knowingly lying. In almost a year of discovery Grand has not produced ANY non-fabricated evidence to support her criminal accusations that I repeatedly forced her to engage in unwanted sex (Grand and her lawyers have attempted to fabricate evidence, but they were caught red-handed).

– Grand has also not explained the obvious discrepancy between Grand claiming that she did not desire ANY sex with me in the 3 years following September 2013 – and the contemporaneous communications between me and Grand which demonstrate that Grand was chasing and begging me for sex throughout in EVERY ONE OF THE 3 YEARS following September 2013. I challenge Grand and/or her lawyers to stop gaslighting the public and explain this clear contradiction in Grand’s forced sex narrative.

– Grand never showed Iyer ANY proof of her accusations that I forced her to engage in unwanted sex. I challenge Iyer to produce ANY evidence that I forced Grand (or anyone else) to engage in unwanted sex with me.

– Iyer secretly helped Grand in her efforts to harm my career. Grand’s accusations of forced unwanted sex would harm almost anyone’s career, including Iyer’s.

So, in 2020 I suggested to Iyer that he reveal that he had conspired with Grand, and to publicly apologize to me AND to black male musicians – OR to make a public statement to explain why his secret actions were justified, and why his statement was not racist.

Iyer has responded by blocking me from his social media accounts and ignoring me.

The social justice crusade that Iyer has been on for years (and that much of his fake image is based on) is very active when he is criticizing and harming others. It is easy to sit on an ivory tower and call out others (as he has done with me, Greg Osby, Ethan Iverson, and others). But Iyer’s sense of responsibility does not extend to his own actions. Instead Iyer has run from this entire scandal for years, as have many others whose names I have mentioned. As I told Iyer, the We have Voice Collective, and others – this is hypocrisy.

We don’t have the right to tell others what to do in their private lives. That is up to the parties involved. And if Grand wants to expose her private relationships to the public, that’s her choice. But Grand DOES NOT have the right to publish lies in order to harm someone, and Grand definitely does not have to right to knowingly falsely accuse anyone of criminal acts, including criminal sexual acts.

This is called defamation per se. And none of us should stand for this.

The fact that this is a case of a younger white woman knowingly falsely accusing an older black man of forcing her to engage in unwanted sex (otherwise known as RAPEˆ) makes this act all the more heinous. We ALL know (or should know) the history of this country, and the history of (some) white women accusing men of color of forcing them to have sex.

And anyone with common sense should’ve at least questioned Grand’s accusations, just based on the 5-year, 4-month length of the relationship.

If someone is doing something illegal, then go to law enforcement. But be aware that ANYONE can lie, regardless of their physical appearance.

Finally, Grand’s lawyers should be ashamed of themselves. They have seen ALL of the evidence, and they KNOW that Grand is lying. There are lies, contradictions and red flags on every page of Grand’s approximately 7-page heinous and demonizing accusation Letter(s).

ALL of the criminal accusations are knowingly false. These include:
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 102-4 Filed 12/19/19
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 87-1 Filed 10/24/19

The forced sex accusation on page 4 – our first sexual encounter on June 2, 2011, which Grand initiated (87-1);

The late July 2011 Chicago kidnapping accusation on page 4. I have never forced Grand to go anywhere against her will, Grand begged me to take her on this trip and constantly asked for sex. (87-1);

The multiple repeated forced sex accusations on page 4, where Grand states that I repeatedly forced her to pay for music lessons with unwanted sex for years. According to Grand this occurred from June 2011 through 2013 (87-1);

The ridiculous lie on pages 4-5 that Grand did not desire me after September 2013 – that it was in the 3 years following September 2013 that I began repeatedly forcing Grand to engage in unwanted sex. This accusation was explained and detailed in an email to journalist Steve Rowland, and Grand amplified this heinous criminal accusation in a April 22, 2019 sworn statement. Grand asked and begged me for sex in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, often telling me the exact sexual act that she wanted me to do (usually cunnilingus), as our contemporaneous correspondence easily proves. (87-1)

ALL of the forced sex accusations on page 5-7, where Grand claims that I repeatedly extorted unwanted sex from her for years, by refusing to hire her until she had sex with me. This is part the period of time (October 2013 through September 2016) that Grand falsely claimed that she did not desire any sex with me. I can EASILY prove that Grand is knowingly lying, both about the alleged forced sex, and about the alleged extortion (87-1);

The early June 2016 upstate New York sexual assault accusation on page 6. Although we were the only individuals in this hotel room, I can prove that Grand is lying using our contemporaneous communications (87-1);

The multiple forced sex accusations on page 8, where Grand states that I repeatedly forced her to pay for music lessons with unwanted sex for years. According to Grand this occurred from June 2011 through 2013 (102-4);

These are the criminal accusations that are in Grand’s Letter(s) that Grand has accused me of. They include years of multiple repeated forced unwanted sex accusations, one kidnapping accusation with the intent to rape, and one sexual assault accusation with the intent to rape. However there are knowingly false demonizing statements on every page of Grand’s accusation Letter(s). And in communications with multiple 3rd parties AND/OR in multiple sworn statements, Grand repeated and doubled down on ALL of these criminal accusations.

My only explanation for what Grand did is that Grand knew that some people would believe her based only on our physical apperances. And Grand either mistakingly thought that I would not have evidence for the nature of our relationship, or that I would be too scared to contest her accusations.

I know from the communications between Grand and others that they believed that I would be overwhelmed by Grand’s accusations before I had a chance to defend myself – which is simply evil.

There is not need to engage in conspiracies if you are telling the truth.

What kind of woman would knowingly lie about these things, then even after evidence is shown, keep lying for years?

What kind of lawyers would keep defending someone like this, for years, AFTER seeing the evidence that their client is lying, and after watching their client repeatedly lie under oath and repeatedly attempt to hide documents? If Grand’s lawyers were ethical they would’ve stopped long ago.

I won’t go through every lie, but here are the major lies

1. Grand is lying about not being attracted to me when we met;

—

Note 4:

Grand, Grand’s lawyers, and Grand’s supporters have carefully avoided discussing Grand aggressively pursuing me for sex. This is the one subject that they have no answers for.

On May 5, 2018, I sent a letter, entitled We Have Voice Mediation Request, to the We Have Voice Collective and others, detailing some examples of the major lies in Grand’s accusation Letter(s). I pointed out that Grand was aggressively hitting on me for sex in the exact time period when Grand stated that she was not interested in ANY sex from me, and in the same time period when Grand stated that I was extorting unwanted sex from her. And I provided transcriptions of my communications with Grand, where Grand was hitting on me for sex. All of my communications were after September 2013, the time period after which Grand falsely stated that she did not desire ANY sex with me, and also the time period when Grand falsely claimed that I was extorting unwanted sex from her (this is a criminal accusation).

The fact that Grand did not mention ANY of her sexual propositions, dishonestly presenting herself as some kind of a victim, is a clear sign that Grand is lying.

And Grand continued to lie under oath during her April 17, 2019 deposition, when Grand was asked directly what about my May 5, 2018 letter was defamatory.

A. ….Then on May — I believe it was May 5th, Mr. Coleman published a defamatory email that was sent to I believe 84 people in the music industry. After that, on May 7th —

Q. Let me stop you. May 8th, you allege that Mr. Coleman sent a defamatory email. What statements did he make that you allege are defamatory?

A. I have to have the email exactly in front of me, but off the top of my head, I remember that he said that I never in my letter once mentioned the times where we had what he called consensual sexual relationships, which is not true, because in my letter, it says right here that I thought I was in love with him and in a relationship with him for a couple of years. So that right there is defamatory because somebody who just sees that is going to have a bad impression of me, because it’s a lie about me.

Grand is lying. I never wrote what she stated in my May 5, 2018 letter to WHV and others.

My lawsuit has nothing to do with “love”, and Grand and her lawyers knows this. I did not sue Grand over her ‘feelings’.

Grand stated quite clearly that I repeatedly forced her to engage in unwanted sex for years. These criminal accusations of forced unwanted sex (as well as Grand’s kidnapping accusation and sexual assault accusation) are why I sued Grand for defamation.

Grand and her lawyers have continually gaslit the public, while ignoring the accusations of forced sex in Grand’s Letter(s). Because they know that the communications that I presented demonstrating that Grand was chasing me for sex prove that Grand is lying.

While Grand states “sexual harassment” in her Letter(s), what she describes is forced unwanted sex, which is a criminal accusation, and is knowingly false.

Here is what I wrote in my May 5, 2018 letter to the We Have Voice Collective and to others…

The bottom line is this, in all of Maria’s narrative, she has never once mentioned or shown that there was sexual aggression on her part, in all of the years that she is claiming harassment.

I continued…

Had she mentioned this, no one would have believed her accusations, and Maria knows this, so she deliberately left this out. There is no hint of Maria’s sexual aggression in her accusation letter. This is disingenuous and misleading at the least, and demonstrates that Maria was consciously trying to manipulate emotions of sympathy from the recipients of her letter.
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 87-3 Filed 10/24/19 Page 3 of 9 PageID #: 2093

I continued….

There were times when Maria rejected my sexual advances, and there were times when I rejected the sexual advances of Maria, as in any ongoing on-off relationship. I have evidence for all of this as well. But as you can see, Maria’s sexual aggression continued throughout all of the years that she claimed that I was the sole sexual aggressor.
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 87-3 Filed 10/24/19 Page 4 of 9 PageID #: 2094

The years that Grand is claiming sexual harassment are the last 3 years of our sexual relationship – which are EXACTLY the 3 years following September 2013, i.e., October 2013 through September 2016, as can be seen in Grand’s statements below:

These are ALL accusations from Grand, where she states that after September of 2013, every sexual interaction between myself and Grand had been coerced by me. This accusation is criminal, and it is defamation, as it is knowingly false.

Grand explicitly states “I have been sexually harassed and pushed into saying yes to sexual acts I did not want to do.“

Furthermore, there is not one mention in Grand’s Letter of Grand actually desiring sex with me, OR of Grand requesting sex from me IN ALL OF THESE 3 YEARS (or actually in ANY years). Grand simply falsely portrays herself as a victim who is being forced to engage in unwanted sex.

Which is all defamation per se. Our contemporaneous communications reveal that Grand not only desired sex from me, but she begged for sex from me.

[2/27/14, 3:32 PM] Maria Grand : Can u come here so I can smother you? I’m all oiled up.
[2/27/14, 3:36 PM] Steve Coleman :Oil up
[2/27/14, 3:36 PM] Maria Grand :I’m too horny. I’m going to cum before you get here.
[2/27/14, 3:37 PM] Maria Grand : Then you can come in and sink inside me

—

[11/16/15, 3:20 AM] Steve Coleman: Can I take your fine ass somewhere and go to bed with you? Your outfit is killing me!
[11/16/15, 3:21 AM] Steve Coleman: I’m in the kitchen
[11/ 16/15, 5:51 AM] Maria Grand: No you can’t. But I guess I’ll let you go down on me in LA. You do it so well.
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 87-3 Filed 10/24/19 Page 5 of 9 PageID #: 2097

—

Furthermore, Grand confessed to me and to 3rd parties that she was attracted to me from the time that we met (which flatly contradicts the lie in her accusation Letter), Grand confessed that she desired intimacy with me from the time that we met, and finally Grand confessed that she planned the entire intimate relationship, and that I fell into her trap.

September 27, 2011 email from Grand to me:
“Actually, I’ve always wanted some kind of intamacy with you, even though I like to think that you got me into it”
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 82-12 Filed 10/24/19 Page 4 of 29 PageID #: 1864

February 14, 2012 electronic chat between me and Grand:
mbase1235 2/14/2012 9:40:39 PM
Maybe I should have never given you even that first music lesson.

Maria Grand 2/14/2012 9:40:55 PM
yea, cause you fell in the trap.

mbase1235 2/14/2012 9:41:14 PM
So, it was a trap all along?

mbase1235 2/14/2012 9:41:33 PM
And I thought you actually loved me! You see, everyone lies.

Maria Grand 2/14/2012 9:41:39 PM
i’ve been thinking about that a lot these days

mbase1235 2/14/2012 9:41:49 PM
About what exactly?

Maria Grand 2/14/2012 9:42:33 PM
about a lot of things. but i was really attracted to you from the beginning, and i went back to read some early emails that i sent you, and it was very clear that that’s where i wanted to go.

Maria Grand 2/14/2012 9:43:52 PM
then i realised that this relationship really is killing for me, because not only am I learning so much, but I feel like it’s rare to be able to express one’s self like this, I can express my freakdom and all that.

Maria Grand 2/14/2012 9:45:19 PM
and really the only problem i had was you being married, and the people’s judgement. i was able to solve the people’s judgement, and i don’t mind you being married

Maria Grand 2/14/2012 9:45:37 PM
so i came to the conclusion that you should lock me up in your basement.
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 82-6 Filed 10/24/19 Page 274 of 422 PageID #: 1064 (exhibit 1)
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 82-6 Filed 10/24/19 Page 35-40 of 422 PageID #: 825-830
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 35-1 Filed 04/05/19 Page 27 of 152 PageID #: 414
(Grand clearly states that she was attracted to me from the time that we met, and that I fell into her trap)

April 14, 2012 email from Grand to my wife, where Grand apologizes to my wife for lying to my wife about not being attracted to me from the beginning:

Now at some point he met me and was attracted, and so was I. It took me a long time to be true to myself about that, and I apologize for the lies I told you, because I was lying to myself and refusing to look at things in the face. I apologize for all that, if it makes a difference. I’d like you to know that I feel very bad about it, I feel guilty, even though I still go on with my life, everything is affected.

The last thing of a long terrible list being that I said I was going to go away and I didn’t really do it, which is bad.
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 35-1 Filed 04/05/19 Page 34 of 152 PageID #: 421

Finally, here is a July 9, 2016 email from Grand to herself, where Grand admits the truth, that she was upset that I rejected her advances:

“That’s what happened with Steve, but I had decided that I was going to belong with him. Alas, he decided I wasn’t enough to belong with him. And so he abandoned me/pushed me out/excluded me, which is one of the things that hurt me the most.”
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 82-9 Filed 10/24/19 Page 10 of 28 PageID #: 1699
Case 1:18-cv-05663-JBW-RLM Document 102 Filed 12/19/19 Page 4 of 12 PageID #: 3162

So in July 2016, Grand is lamenting wanting to “belong with” me, but I rejected her.

However, in the narrative in Grand’s accusation Letter(s), Grand told scores of my musical colleagues, multiple music journalists, and multiple concert promoters that following September 2013 – Grand rejected ME, and that I then began repeatedly extorting unwanted sex from Grand, against her will, for 3 consecutive years.

The bottom line is Maria Grand is a liar of the worse kind.

What kind of woman knowingly falsely screams rape, sexual abuse and kidnapping?

What kind of lawyers KNOW that their client Grand is lying, and still gaslights the public and pretend like they don’t see the glaring contradiction in Grand’s forced sex narrative?

There are plenty of real victims of rape, kidnapping and sexual assault. These legitimate victims do not need the knowingly false accusations of vindictive women who have been rejected, distributing false accusations of rape.