So First, Who Is Lena Zawaideh?
Lena Zawaideh [born March 1991] joined the famous music band Bad Things, an American electronic rock band composed of former singers like Davis DeLuke, Jared Palomar, and Anthony Sanudo when it was officially formed in 2011. Meanwhile, Shaun White is a three-time gold Olympic medalist in the snowboard halfpipe event, who made history by winning the third Olympic gold medal at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Lena was the only female member of the band who was well-recognized for her unique musical talent. She met Shaun through her mutual friend when invited to sing with his brother. They started hanging out together and formed the band in 2011. The talented musician, songwriter, and singer remained in the band until 2014.
Her mother, May Zawaideh (right), was also some form of a literal rockstar back in the day.
Photo Source: Lena Zawaideh, Instagram
Zawaideh initially dreamed of becoming a doctor before she changed her dream at the age of 11 when she convinced her mother to buy her a drum kit, which she instantly fell in love with. She experimented with drumming throughout her early years before meeting White. The two along with Sanudo became great friends for a long time while growing up together in North County San Diego, California.
However, Zawaideh was forced to leave the band because of the problem created between her and Shaun White, which only later surfaced after her allegations. She alleged that Shaun sexually harassed her while working with them during her teen years. However, Shaun's past has not been absolute, and sexual harassment claims against him resurfaced again.
Shaun White's Sexual Harassment Case Filed by Lena Zawaideh
Lena Zawaideh was fired from the Bad Things band after having worked with some of the members from her early days. Lena performed for more than seven years with the group as a drummer. Lena alleges that Shaun fired her without paying her part of the work. She then filed a public complaint in the lawsuit after several years of her dismissal in May 2016.
The drummer sought $42,000 in back pay and claimed punitive damages and sexual harassment. According to her statement, she was just 16 when she first started playing music with him in 2007 and revealed Shaun's behavior was always strange from the beginning. She continued that she was harassed all the time being in the Bad Things band.
Lena Zawaideh is advancing in 'Nightpulse' after her exit from the 'Bad Things' band.
Photo source: Lena Zawaideh, Instagram
The talented singer revealed that Shaun became strange after consuming excessive alcohol, misbehaved, and then apologized the next day. This pro-skateboarder did many bizarre things including, forcing her to watch pornographic videos, and more unmentionable offenses when she was only 17 or 18 years old, which she opened up to PageSix in August 2016. He also sent many bizarre text messages to Zawaideh which he admitted later on.
Also See: Noor Dabash Also Claimed to Be a Victim of Sexual Assault As a Teen
Moreover, the sportsman allegedly controlled how and what she wore, asking her to have specific hairstyles and wear revealing clothes. Shaun used verbal abuse and continuous harassment for more than three years. Lena and Shaun agreed & settled their matters in May 2017, while her pending salaries were still unpaid. However, Shaun thought she didn't need the money. Lena was harassed for about seven years being in the band.
The Aftermath: White Did Admit to the Text Allegations Later
Lena and Shaun's allegations were brought once at the 2018 Winter Olympics held in South Korea, where Shaun won a gold medal for the third time. At a press conference, he was asked about the sexual harassment allegations, and he dubbed them as "gossip". He later apologized for his choice of words for the allegations. However, Shaun wanted to talk not about his rumors but Olympics at the conference.
Shaun White tried to dodge talk about the rumors at the Olympic coverage.
Photo source: Shaun White, Instagram
The legendary athlete vigorously denied Lena's initial claims of sexual harassment. However, Shaun later admitted to sending alleged text messages to her by saying, "Many years ago, I exchanged texts with a friend who is now using them to craft a bogus lawsuit." Shaun requested the San Diego Superior Court that Zawaideh needs a mental health evaluation. Ultimately, he reached an undisclosed settlement with his bandmate. White withdrew that request, and the case got dismissed at the time.
While the case has been dismissed, Zawaideh has continued her career and joined another band called NightPulse. This talented singer, songwriter, producer, and renowned drummer Lena Zawaideh performs pop and encompasses midnight emotionality with her music.
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