Back in March, Portland musician Mo Troper was accused of abuse by his former partner, Maya Stoner of Floating Room. Troper, who was dropped by his label, Lame-O Records, denied the allegations, and he has now sued Stoner for defamation. A press release issued by attorney Ashley L. Vaughn about the suit reads:
In May, Stoner’s allegations morphed into vague accusations of sexual, physical, financial, and psychological abuse against Troper. Since March of 2024, Defendant Stoner’s online and telephonic rhetorical attacks and harassment against Troper, his family, and friends have been relentless, escalating in severity and frequency. Stoner’s conduct has caused a significant rift in Portland’s local music community. Stoner’s accusations against Troper, causing him to be publicly branded as a violent domestic abuser, are false, defamatory, and permanently damaging.
Troper has filed claims for defamation, interference with business relationships, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and invasion of privacy. He is seeking injunctive relief, noneconomic damages in the amount of $200,000, and economic damages in the amount of $75,000. However, at the core, Troper just wants it all to stop.
Attempts to resolve this matter without litigation, using trauma-informed measures, have gone unheeded by Stoner. Attempts by mutual friends to have mediated conversations with Stoner have failed. A cease-and-desist letter sent to Stoner by Ashley Vaughn, Troper’s counsel, to engage in a mediation facilitated by a mutually agreed-upon, trauma-informed mediator, went unanswered and unheeded.
“The economic and reputational damage from Maya’s claims has been devastating,” Troper says in a statement. “I am currently going back to school so I can change career paths. The emotional damage from this has, at times, been unbearable. Feeling completely terrorized and terrified, I wound up in the emergency room in March.”
“Their specific claims about me are not based in reality,” Troper’s statement continues. “I have said before, and I will say it again, that our relationship was tumultuous. I also support survivors of abuse—but I did not abuse Maya. I cannot accept that the portrait of me that now exists in society is one of a violent abuser. Except for issuing one public statement shortly after Maya made the initial accusations, I have mostly remained silent during this time. But I refuse to be harassed by this person any longer.”