Real Estate Revealed They Fired Guitarist Matt Mondanile Last Year for Alleged Sexual Misconduct

Headlines have been fraught with stories of sexual misconduct in the past week since exposés in the New York Times and The New Yorker revealed and confirmed decades of sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein. These disturbing accounts have triggered an outpouring of support for and anger from many women who empathize with those who were affected or have endured the same injustice. Now, amid the controversy, more stories relating to sexual misconduct are surfacing, including one from the indie-rock band Real Estate.

In 2016, guitarist and co-founder Matt Mondanile parted ways with the band, stating that he wanted to focus more heavily on his solo project Ducktails. Mondanile was replaced by another guitarist, Julian Lynch, and little more was said about the situation, until now. Today, Real Estate released a statement informing Spin and Pitchfork as to the real reason why Mondanile was no longer part of the band:

“Matt Mondanile was fired in February 2016 when allegations of unacceptable treatment of women were brought to our attention. While we urged him to seek counseling at the time of termination, we are no longer in contact. We feel that any abuse of one’s power or status to victimize another is completely unacceptable. We applaud the courage of the women who came forward to make us aware so that we could address the issue head on.”

These allegations reportedly first came about when drummer Jackson Pollis became aware of the inappropriate behavior and issued an ultimatum to the band that he would leave if the guitarist wasn’t fired. A former publicist for Ducktails also heard of the allegations and quit, prompting his label, Domino Recordings, to refrain from working with him, as well. Mondanile has denied any wrongdoing.