As reported by the Washington Post, the multi-instrumentalist's reputation took a serious blow in late 2013 when an anonymous woman claimed in the comments of an online article that Oberst had raped her. The online post soon went viral online, and eventually spread to mainstream news.
"[The commenter] had no physical contact with Mr. Oberst at the Durham, NC show she claimed was the location of the alleged sexual assault," Oberst's team said in a statement that year, with the internet left debating over whether the artist was guilty or not. Five months after the post had gone virtual, Oberst sued the anonymous woman (who had since deleted her post) for libel. The original poster later admitted that she had made the post up for attention.
"The statements I made and repeated online and elsewhere over the past six months accusing Conor Oberst of raping me are 100% false," the woman said in a statement, per Buzzfeed. "I made up those lies about him to get attention while I was going through a difficult period in my life and trying to cope with my son's illness."
Still, as SevensLegal argues, some bloggers postulated that Conor Oberst's legal actions after being accused could intimidate rape victims and prevent them from coming forward. To this day, many associate Oberst's name in conjunction with the nasty accusation, leaving the Bright Eyes musician to pack his bags and relocate west.
