Rammstein Frontman Sues German Publication Over Alleged Misconduct Reporting

Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann is taking legal action against a German news outlet for their coverage of the sexual misconduct allegations that have followed him since last year.

The controversy began in May 2023 when a female fan publicly accused Lindemann of misconduct, alleging she had been drugged at a pre-concert party in Lithuania.

Shelby Lynn, from Northern Ireland, told the BBC she was recruited and “groomed” for sex with the singer after a concert. Lynn claimed her drink was spiked at the show, but said she was not sexually assaulted.

Lindemann denied the allegations, with lawyers calling the accusations “without exception untrue”.

Despite Lindemann and Rammstein’s firm denials of wrongdoing, the allegations led to serious consequences. Lindemann was dropped by his publisher, and the Berlin public prosecutor’s office launched an investigation.

The investigation was concluded and dropped in Aug. 2023.

The prosecutor’s office stated at the time, “The statements made by witnesses in the press reports have not been confirmed by the investigations.” Following this announcement, Lindemann briefly commented on social media: “I thank all those who have waited impartially for the end of the investigation.”

In Aug. 2024, Rammstein released a statement addressing the past allegations:

“Since last summer, we have been actively dealing with the accusations made against the band. We take this dispute very seriously, even if much of it is unfounded and excessively exaggerated. It is an inner process that will accompany us for a long time to come. Each of us does this in our own way and deals with it differently,” the statement read.

The band also expressed gratitude, saying, “At this point, we would particularly like to thank our families and loved ones for their unrestricted support and love; they too were hit hard by the allegations made and the media’s handling of them.”

“We thank our crew, our management, all our employees and everyone who has supported us and remained loyal along this journey. This massive stadium tour with this great show and this extraordinary stage has now come to an end after 135 concerts in 5 years with 6 million fans.”

“It’s not Rammstein. It’s not us. It’s not you. The path continues.”

Lindemann has now filed a criminal complaint against executives at the German publication Der Spiegel, with an Aug. 2 press release from Lindemann’s legal team revealing that he has filed a criminal complaint with the Hamburg Public Prosecutor’s Office against Der Spiegel’s executives, as per LoudWire.

The complaint alleges that the publication’s reporting included falsified documents and an attempt to commit trial fraud.