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Music Publicist Heathcliff Berru Accused Of Sexual Assault By Several Women Including Dirty Projectors’ Amber Coffman

January 19th, 2016 - 11:21 PM

Amber Coffman of Dirty Projectors has accused high-profile music publicist Heathcliff Berru of sexual assault. Coffman’s announcement originally appeared on Twitter and now several other women have corroborated her story.

Berru is the founder of Life or Death PR & Management, and has a roster of heavy-hitting artists under his company’s belt including Killer Mike and Cloud Nothings.

Shortly after Coffman’s accusations were made, Beth Martinez, publicist for Danger Village, spoke up about her own similar encounters with Berru, which were no less serious and disturbing.

After this, the floodgates seemed to open up. Best Coast’s Bethany Consentino and Judy Miller Silverman, publicist at Motormouth Media, shared their own experiences and thoughts on Berru. Everything confirmed what Coffman and Martinez had said earlier.

Not surprisingly, several artists have decided to cease working relations with Life or Death PR & Management, in the wake of the accusations against Berru. Beach Fossils, Diiv and Wavves were two among others that made this abundantly clear.

Other artists who have dropped Life and Death PR include: Beach Fossils, Waaves, Diiv, Kelela, and Speedy Ortiz.

Coffman’s statements have likely started a domino effect that will continue to expose Berru in the coming weeks. With the short turnaround between the initial comments, and several other women affirming them, this is likely to remain a fluid story. The end result will become clear as more layers are revealed.

According to Billboard, Berru has stepped down from his role as CEO of Life or Death PR, and the company issued a statement:

Life or Death has a zero tolerance policy for the type of conduct alleged in today’s on-line postings.  We take these allegations very seriously

The men and women who make up this company do not, and will not, condone or tolerate any conduct described in the on-line postings. Life Or Death is 3 men and 3 women who are committed to promoting art and serving the clients that we’re so privileged to represent.  We are taking measures to ensure that the alleged behavior did not, and will not, make its way into company operations or impact our commitment to promoting art and assisting our clients.

We are grateful to Heathcliff Berru for all the work he’s done to date and his creative vision at the company.  We appreciate and support his decision to step down as CEO of Life Or Death.”

UPDATE (1/20/2016): Heathcliff Berru has issued an apology via LA Weekly:

There have been several reports about my alleged inappropriate behavior which deserve a response. I am deeply sorry for those who I have offended by my actions and how I have made certain women feel. If I crossed the line of decency or respectfulness in situations when I was drunk and under the influence, there is no excuse of course. To be clear, while my conduct may have been inappropriate, I have never drugged anyone or engaged in that type of behavior. Nevertheless, I do not want to be the type of person who would let drugs or alcohol take command of his life and compromise how he treats people. Yet I have been this person and it’s time to put a stop to all of this. Create a world with one less inappropriate man.

I have been fighting a losing battle against drugs and alcohol for many years and will be checking into a rehabilitation facility in the hope that I can improve my chances of winning that fight. A year ago, I was confronted by a peer and began to try to clean up and make things right with therapy and with an eye towards quitting the addiction. The shame and sadness feels as strong now as it did then and I am making an immediate change.

I have already lost my wife, abandoned my family, and destroyed those I love as a result of my shameful, embarrassing, unacceptable behavior. I deeply apologize to them as well. By no means do they deserve to feel the pain of my actions. Please give them the space they deserve. They were the light at the end of a dark tunnel. I was married during some of these years and hid my problems from everyone well. Especially her and her family. Totally inexcusable.

In no way do these allegations reflect on Life or Death PR, its staff, or anyone associated with the company. These are my issues, not theirs. I could not be more proud of the company and what it stands for. That being said I have stepped down as the CEO and [am] relinquishing all responsibility to the current president, Nick Dierl. The company shouldn’t have to deal with this distraction and I want Nick and the rest of the team to continue to do their good work while I take care of myself.

As of 1/19/2016, Life and Death PR’s website is down with a message that reads: “This website is under maintenance.”

UPDATE 2 (1/20/2016, 9:50 AM PST):

Former client of Life and Death PR Sky Ferreira has tweeted a message that seems to add to the allegations levied against Berru.

Additionally, Mixpak has announced via Twitter they will be severing ties with the PR company.

Meanwhile, Killer Mike has chosen to stick with his current publicist Duncan Will of Life and Death, although he seems to hint he believes the PR company is “no more.”

UPDATE 3 (1/20/2016, 5:30 PST): 

Amber Coffman has responded to Berru’s apology on Twitter:

The Fader reports that D’Angelo has dropped Life and Death PR as his publicist.

And it seems the other shoe has dropped on Life and Death PR as a company, as employee Nick Dierl in a series of tweets has stated the rest of the team will leave the company:

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