Provided by Mike von Gold
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On Thursday, local DJ, producer and sound engineer Michael Von Gold filed a lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court against his former business associate, Jeremy Glassman. In the suit, Von Gold accuses the younger brother of Arizona Attorney General candidate Rodney Glassman of financial and sexual improprieties — accusations that have fed into political ambushes in the AG primary race, as Phoenix New Times recently reported.
The 33-page complaint states that Von Gold and Jeremy had a verbal agreement promising Von Gold a 50 percent interest in their music production company, which did business as Glass & Gold, Electric Polar Bear, and Polar Productions. They put on light and sound shows in the United States and internationally from 2018 to 2023.
Von Gold filed the complaint on his own behalf without an attorney representing him. It seeks the revocation of a previous settlement agreement between the parties, wherein Von Gold was paid $28,000. It asks the court to award Von Gold unspecified compensatory and punitive damages “in an amount sufficient to punish” Jeremy and “deter future similar conduct.”
In the complaint, Von Gold asserts that he was the driving creative force behind the business. The partnership crashed after a 2022 incident at Burning Man, where Jeremy allegedly “provided controlled substances” to Von Gold and became “physically affectionate and overly touchy” toward Von Gold without his consent. Per Von Gold, Jeremy declared his love for his business partner and “attempted to engage in a sexual relationship with him.”
Von Gold, who is heterosexual, was a firm no. The complaint states:
“When Plaintiff rejected Defendant Glassman’s unwanted touching, Defendant Glassman disclosed acts of childhood sexual abuse Defendant Glassman stated he had experienced at the hands of Defendant Glassman’s older brother, including oral sexual contact and attempted further sexual conduct. Defendant Glassman then used that disclosure to excuse or explain his own conduct toward Plaintiff and stated, in substance, that sexual conduct between brothers was acceptable.”
These allegations have floated around Phoenix political circles for months. Supporters of Warren Petersen, who is running against Rodney for the Republican nomination for Attorney General, suddenly made the allegations public last week. At Rodney’s campaign events people sprang questions on the candidate and filmed his replies. “Garbage,” Rodney called the accusations in one video. “Bullshit.”
Republican political activist Merissa Caldwell, a supporter of Petersen’s, filed a complaint with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office restating Von Gold’s allegations and claiming decades-old conduct involving Rodney Glassman and a minor. The Attorney General’s Office responded with a letter advising Caldwell to report the allegations to the appropriate local law enforcement agency. Caldwell told New Times that she was not acting for or on behalf of the Petersen campaign.
Asked for comment, Jeremy Glassman gave New Times the following statement:
“These allegations being spread around on the internet are false. Mr. Von Gold used to work for me and my company and he has been trying to extort me for quite some time, most recently demanding $500,000. He’s now using my brother’s campaign as another avenue to try to escalate his attempt at extortion. I have filed a criminal complaint with the city of Tempe against Mr. Von Gold. I intend to prosecute fully any and all claims against anyone who aids this individual or publishes false and defamatory statements regarding this matter.”
The Tempe Police Department confirmed that Jeremy filed a complaint with the office. It has not yet made that document available to the public.
For his part, Von Gold is standing pat. He rejects any and all attempts to categorize his grievances as blackmail or extortion. He told New Times: “What can I blackmail you on when everything’s already out there?”
