Photo by: Mehreen Rizvi

Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley and the band’s former manager, Greig Nori, are suing each other following sexual abuse allegations Whibley made in his recent memoir, Walking Disaster, according to NME. In his memoir, Whibley accused Nori of grooming, sexually and verbally assaulting him during their professional relationship. But Nori has denied these claims, calling them false and hiring a defamation lawyer. He stated he has not read the memoir or been informed of the allegations directly. In response, Nori alleged that Whibley initiated their relationship, claiming both were adults at the time.

He said, “These are false allegations.”

“The accusation that I initiated the relationship is false. I did not initiate it. Whibley initiated it, aggressively,” he added. “When the relationship began Whibley was an adult, as was I.”

Whibley has countersued Nori, seeking $3 million in damages for “defamation and placing the plaintiff in a false light.” Previously, Nori made public statements accusing Whibley of lying about the events described in his memoir.

Court documents filed in Ontario Superior Court reveal that Nori is suing for libel and additional claims, including “breach of confidence, intrusion upon seclusion, wrongful disclosure of private facts, and placing the plaintiff in a false light.” Nori has also named Simon & Schuster LLC, the publisher of Whibley’s memoir, as a defendant.

In Walking Disaster, Whibley recounts an alleged incident from when he was 18. He claims that Nori grabbed his face and kissed him while they were taking ecstasy in a rave bathroom. Whibley stated he was taken aback, as he had never considered Nori in a romantic context. According to Whibley, Nori persuaded him to explore a relationship,

Whibley further alleges that when he attempted to end the relationship, Nori accused him of homophobia and reminded him of how much he owed Nori for Sum 41’s career. Whibley also detailed unwanted sexual encounters and claimed the abuse escalated into psychological and verbal manipulation. He said the harassment ended only after a mutual friend labeled the situation as abuse. However, Whibley alleges that psychological abuse persisted, with Nori alternating between praise and criticism.

Sum 41 later fired Nori in 2005, citing his unresponsiveness and failure to meet professional obligations.