“Zoey 101” alum Alexa Nikolas is suing her ex-husband, Michael Milosh, for damages following allegations that he sexually assaulted, abused and groomed her.
Page Six obtained a copy of the complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday that states, “This case is about a libertine musician who preyed on the innocence of a minor fan to manipulate and coerce her into succumbing to his repeated sexual assaults of her, and the corporate institutions that enabled the abuse.”
Nikolas, now 29, and Milosh, now 45, were married from 2012 to 2016. The former Nickelodeon star was 19 and the musician — the singer-songwriter behind the group Rhye — was 36 when they wed.
Nikolas’ attorneys accused Milosh in court documents of using his “power of authority
and seniority” and years of “sexual grooming” when the actress was just a minor to “manipulate her into trusting him.”
According to court documents, Nikolas, who had just turned 16, “innocently” reached out to Milosh via his MySpace page in 2008 after hearing his music while filming “Children of the Corn.”
“Although Nikolas did not expect any response as he was so much older, almost
immediately, Milosh responded to her Myspace message, and asked for her phone number, to which she complied,” the attorneys alleged. “Only a few minutes later, he called her and they spoke on the phone for over an hour. At the time, Nikolas was 16 years old and Milosh was 33.”
The lawyers claim the pair began having flirtatious interactions and conversations that were often sexual in nature, although Nikolas was still a minor at the time.
“Upon gaining her trust, Defendant Milosh terrorized, sodomized, and abused Plaintiff [Nikolas] as a part of his continuous conduct aimed at satisfying his prurient and economic desires,” the attorneys further alleged.
They then took aim at the Canadian vocalist’s record label and management team, claiming the execs “enabled Milosh by supporting him financially and ratifying his misconduct,” stating they “knew” Nikolas “was a minor and continuing to suffer abuse even after the age of majority.”
The lawyers said in the lawsuit that Plug Research, a record label that represented Milosh, also had “knowledge of the lyrics to Milosh’s music, his vision for his music and artistic endeavors, and his tendencies to seek courtship with underage fans.”
According to court documents, once Milosh and Nikolas met, the singer allegedly “supplied Nikolas with excessive alcohol to easily manipulate her and continued to encourage Nikolas to undress.”
“Nikolas initially told him no, but succumbing to his power over her, eventually complied upon his insistence,” they said, adding, “Milosh deliberately ignored Nikolas’s explicit non-consent and simply assured Nikolas that she would enjoy the experience eventually.”
Throughout their courtship, Nikolas’ attorneys said music companies Polydor, Loma Vista and BIZ3 allegedly “supported, enabled, and encouraged Milosh by supporting him financially, promoting his music and popularity, and earning him additional leverage and control over Nikolas.”
Then in 2012, they allege Milosh proposed to Nikolas since he was “in desperate need of an artist visa before his upcoming tour to promote the release of his newest album.”
“His record labels, Polydor and Loma Vista, were equally aware of Milosh’s visa issue and refused to pay for or facilitate his artist visa,” the attorneys said in court documents. “Instead, they relied on Milosh to obtain his artist visa through marriage, by manipulating Nikolas, the product of his childhood grooming, to marry him.”
They said Nikolas agreed to marry Milosh after being under “emotional hypnosis” as a result of years of his “grooming.”
They said Milosh maintained his control of Nikolas throughout their marriage by having only one set of keys to their shared living space to “ensure he knew of Nikolas’ whereabouts at all times,” and “isolating her from friends and family,” “supplying Nikolas with copious amounts of alcohol,” “demanding she acquiesce to his sexual desires, despite her non-consent,” among other examples.
The lengthy 24-page complaint outlines even more examples of Milosh’s alleged abuse, which Nikolas first made known to the public via her Instagram in March.
In several posts shared on March 13, Nikolas reiterated allegations stated in the lawsuit that Milosh preyed on her when she was a minor, coerced her into unwanted sexual acts, verbally abused her and choked her.
Milosh said in a statement to multiple outlets at the time, “I reiterate that these accusations are outrageously false and the manipulated stories provably untrue. I’m fully prepared to cooperate with any independent investigation into these false claims and look forward to being cleared of all the shameless mirrors.”
Nikolas’ lawyers said in the lawsuit Thursday their client is seeking “justice for the years of emotional, sexual, psychological, and financial torture she suffered at the hands” of Milosh.
“Milosh used his power, age and influence to take control of my life when he started grooming me back when I was 16, which is what predators do — now I am taking back control and getting out the truth of what happened,” Alexa Nikolas wrote to Page Six in a statement. “I’m hoping that, by speaking out, others will find the courage to do the same – I believe this is how we can help ensure he and other predators are no longer able to target and sexually abuse minors.”
“Alexa Nikolas is a brave survivor of child sexual abuse who is filing this case to seek justice and hold Michael Milosh accountable,” Greenberg Gross Attorney Deborah Mallgrave added. “Like many survivors, Alexa has struggled for years with the abuse she endured and her journey to this point has not been easy. Going forward, we will stand with her in her fight for justice.”
“Sadly, Alexa’s story is not an outlier,” said Gibbs Law Group Attorney Karen Menzies. “We continue to see predators in the music industry use their celebrity and influence to target women, especially underage girls. In many cases, management companies, record labels and promoters turn a blind eye, and even enable or participate to protect their financial interests and investment. This is a systemic failure, and we hope to see more survivors like Alexa gaining the courage to speak out to hold perpetrators accountable when the music industry has failed to do so.”
Reps for Milosh could not immediately be reached for comment. Plug Research, Biz3, Polydor, and Loma Vista also did not return requests for comment.