Seal 'vehemently denies' sexual battery accusations made against him
— -- Last week, singer Seal encouraged women to come forward to tell their #MeToo stories of sexual harassment. Now, he's been forced to defend himself against similar allegations.
On Jan. 13, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department responded to a call from a woman who claimed that in November of 2016 she'd been a victim of sexual battery and named the singer, whose given name is Samuel Henry Olusegun, as the perpetrator, authorities told ABC Los Angeles station KABC. Detectives are currently investigating the allegations, KABC reported.
In a statement obtained by ABC News, a representative for Seal, 54, said that Grammy winner "vehemently denies the recent accusations made against him by a former neighbor for alleged misconduct of more than a year ago."
"He intends to vigorously defend himself against these false allegations," the statement concluded.
Seal said in a video posted to social media on Jan. 11 that he applauded women who have spoken out about sexual misconduct and hoped that offenders would be brought to justice.
"To all of you who have been raped, to all of you who have been sexually abused: I applaud you for coming forward. What you did takes real courage," he said. "Please keep coming forward because that's the only way that we get to solve this thing. We talk about it, we open dialogue, we solve it."
