Matthew Rinaudo, aka Mizkif, has filed a lawsuit against Emily Beth Schunk, aka Emiru, alleging defamation. Mizkif’s defamation lawsuit has also named his former organization, One True King, and his former co-founder, Zack Hoyt, aka Asmongold. Mizkif’s lawsuit comes after Emiru accused him of s*xual assault and domestic abuse on an October 25 Twitch stream.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, also named Mythic Talent Management and King Gaming Labs. He shared in the suit that Emiru’s allegations are false and added that it has caused “significant harm to his reputation and career” (via Dexerto).
Mizkif is suing Emiru and Asmongold for defamation
He is seeking damages for reputational harm, lost earnings, and emotional distress pic.twitter.com/PBgEy44MhC
The lawsuit also highlighted how the claims were then circulated and supported by others in the streaming space. He called out Asmongold’s comments and claimed that he did it for virality. The lawsuit read:
Defendants Schunk, Hoyt, and OTK have, acting in concert, wrongfully and baselessly accused Rinaudo of serious criminal activity for no purpose other than to harm him, his reputation, and his business—and wrest from him control of the companies that he helped build.
He also wanted the court to shut down the claims of contractual breaches put forward by OTK, Mythic Talent, and King Gaming Labs. The latter two had previously claimed that Mizkif owed them a collective $896,401.92 USD in fees for breach of contract.
Mizkif is seeking damages for “reputational harm, lost earnings, and emotional distress.” However, the exact amount hasn’t been revealed yet.
Emiru-Mizkif Controversy Explained: Complete Timeline of Events
On October 25, Emiru took to Twitch and other platforms to accuse fellow content creator Mizkif of “psychological and domestic abuse, stalking, harrasment, s*xual assault, and threats of blackmail” (via Dexerto). She shared that some of these issues were still ongoing.
She shared that they had previously dated when they were part of OTK and lived together in Austin, Texas. She shared that she tried to “separate myself from him” and not make it a public thing. However, she shared that she learned of alleged new incidents involving Mizkif. She explained:
I was informed by three separate people, one of whom was present for said incident, that he had done something similar to something that he had done to me to someone in LA at the end of September. Because of this, I cannot in good conscience sit here knowing that I know critical information about someone that almost no one else does and not say anything.
She further accused him of s*xual assault, claiming that Mizkif tried to take advantage of her when she was in an emotionally vulnerable state. She detailed the particular incident on her livestream:
He started kissing me in my face. I let him do it, I was still sobbing a lot. Then, suddenly, he tried to climb on top of me and aggressively shoved his hand down my pants, and I screamed. When I screamed, he jumped off me, like a cat, and instead of apologizing and checking if I was ok, he said, ‘I feel weird now, I feel like I did something wrong, I have to go.’ He immediately left my house while I was still crying.
She shared that she was still making excuses for Mizkif at the time and did not reveal the incident to anyone. She shared that he threatened her multiple times. She further shared how he threatened her after they had moved away from each other. She shared:
For a while, he has been indirectly threatening me through my friends and people that I work with. They’ve informed me that he said that if I ever talked about anything he did, he would try to create a smear campaign against me in retaliation.
She shared that he had planned to accuse her of killing her rabbits. She also shared that he had threatened one of her employees when she attended the recently concluded TwitchCon event. She also shared that she had contacted a lawyer and even showed messages from Mizkif after she had cut contact with him. She shared that she was in the process of filing a restraining order against him, both in California and Texas.
Mizkif’s response came on the same day, just a few hours later, when he talked about his difficult relationship with Emiru (via Dexerto). He shared that he wasn’t “perfect with my language or tone” during the course of their relationship, admitting that he was “aggressive at times.” He shared that he had told her many things that would amount to him “being controlling. He shared:
I told her to dress older, to stop wearing pajamas, and to stop talking about stalkers as a whole. Stop talking about past relationships, and yes, I didn’t want her to travel without me. I also said that I didn’t want her to hang out with specific people. This is because I didn’t want her to get hurt.
He shared that he could’ve done better in the relationship, adding that he should’ve “just ended the f**king relationship.” He shared that he was confused at the time. However, he shared that it was he who told Emiru to move out of his house. He shared that Emiru was “also violent” in the relationship.
He shared that she would “throw clothes and plushies at me, and I’d punch holes in the wall or slam doors in aggression.” He shared that the relationship got so toxic that he wanted to be alone. He also brought up how Emiru was neglectful towards her pet rabbits, as a result of which they died.
With regards to the s*xual assault incident, he shared that he had immediately stopped and “sprang up” when she “yelped”. He shared, “I apologize if that made Emi uncomfortable for me not saying sorry, and I wish I had said sorry back then.” He also denied the stalking incident, sharing that when they had met at a party, he didn’t approach her.
What Consequences Did Mizkif Face After Emiru’s Allegations?
After Emiru’s allegations against Mizkif, One True King issued a statement in support of Emiru. In the statement, the streaming organization claimed that they had cut all ties with Mizkif. Their tweet came on October 27, two days after Emiru and Mizkif’s livestreams.
They wrote, “OTK fully supports its co-owner and sister Emiru and we stand by her side and admire her strength in coming forward and sharing her story.” They also shared that OTK had terminated its relationship with Mizkif some time ago “for reasons unrelated to the recent events.”
They made it clear that Mizkif “holds no stake in OTK or any of our other companies.” They also did not delve into the details of the other incidents they had mentioned, instead sharing, “Out of respect for those who have come forward, we will let their voices speak above ours.”
OTK fully supports its co-owner and sister Emiru and we stand by her side and admire her strength in coming forward and sharing her story.
While Mizkif was one of several founders of OTK, the organization terminated its relationship with him some time ago for reasons unrelated…
He was previously suspended from the group pending investigation when he was accused of covering up a s*xual assault incident between streamers CrazySlick and Adrianah Lee. He was later reinstated but was pulled from the board of directors.
In his lawsuit, Mizkif alleged that OTK sent him a letter on the day of Emiru’s livestream, accusing him of abuse. He shared, “OTK claimed it was entitled to do so based on the nature of Emiru’s allegations.” He shared that the letter asserted “purported breaches of the Owners Agreement.”
However, Mizkif was not banned by Twitch, despite Emiru’s allegations against him. #BanMizkif was trending on the platform, but many fans were surprised by the platform’s inaction.
How Did Asmongold Get Involved in the Emiru-Mizkif Drama?
According to Mizkif’s filing, Asmongold has “continuously defamed” Mizkif and claimed in his videos that Mizkif “should be in jail.” The lawsuit also shared that the streamer claimed Mizkif was “abusing and manipulating others, hurting other people, and becoming an aggressor.”
The lawsuit also brought up Asmongold’s statement in a recent YouTube livestream, where he stated that Mizkif was “the aggressor and abuser” in the relationship with Emiru. The lawsuit claimed, “Hoyt has on a near daily basis reaffirmed the ‘truth’ of Schunk’s allegations before his millions of followers.”
Mizkif also mentioned some of the other baseless allegations made by Asmongold, including the claim that Mizkif was removed from OTK due to another act of misconduct. The lawsuit also mentioned how Asmongold falsely accused Mizkif of threatening Emiru’s employees at the recently concluded TwitchCon event.
The lawsuit claimed that Asmongold “enriched himself personally by advertising revenues and subscription fees garnered from his smear campaign.” It pointed out how some of the streamer’s viewers called his actions “dramabaiting for views.”
It was alleged that Emiru and Asmongold stood to benefit from Mizkif’s ouster from OTK, sharing that they “coordinated the timing of their statements to maximize the injury inflicted” to the complainant.
Fans will have to wait to see how this lawsuit plays out in court. What do you think of Mizkif’s lawsuit? Let us know in the comments below!
