Judge rejects Marie Lemelle’s claims of violence against domestic violence victim, probe finds Platinum Star PR Inc. CEO engaged in pattern of misconduct

 

A former City of Glendale Commissioner on the Status of Women is making headlines today for alleged improper conduct related to revictimizing a domestic violence victim. 

Marie Y. Lemelle, 65, founder of Pitbull PR Agency, Inc. was handed a loss in court by a California judge who dismissed her claims of violence.

For her part, Lemelle filed a restraining order against the crime victim and described in court documents that the individual “consistently exhibited emotional abuse, fraud, and deceit” -- a claim that could not be corroborated. On the contrary, verified sources said Lemelle “deliberately fabricated most of the report to demean the victim." 

The Los Angeles judge threw the case out calling it “unwarranted”. Lemelle has been the subject of a misconduct probe amid the judge’s ruling.

According to SoCal Impact Lemelle’s misdeeds sparked concerns and an investigation was triggered by a complaint filed in June of last year, accusing the Hollywood film producer and celebrity public relations consultant of inappropriate and improper conduct - as well as concerns about the journalist’s honesty. As a result, the coalition launched an investigation in June 2023.

The investigation concluded in June 2024. In July 2024, 

SoCal Impact released a report detailing the findings of their investigation into misconduct allegations levied against the CEO of Platinum Star Public Relations, Inc. 

The coalition said the allegations brought forward against Lemelle for intimation, misrepresentation, humiliation, domination, and victimization were all proven to be true. 

The bombshell report detailed allegations that Lemelle mishandled sensitive material, worked in cahoots with third parties to intimate the victim, and intentionally provided false information about the victim in court documents. 

"More than half of those interviewed insisted that Lemelle's personal attacks made under oath against the victim were unfounded," the investigation revealed. 

According to the report, "Lemelle, 64 at the time, stated I have been emotionally and financially harmed causing me to experience nightmares, insomnia, and fear of attending red carpet events and high profile events. I am experienced in crisis management but never had to protect myself."

The report stated "Lemelle told the court I have lost wages by turning down jobs in fear of the person showing up. However, during the time in question, the entrepreneur did not cease to parade the town," the report stated.

The investigation uncovered that "Lemelle was frequently in attendance at countless functions ranging from red carpets, golf tournaments, concerts, film festivals, award shows and media engagements, as evidenced on her public social media channels and verified by staff."

The report continues: "In reality, there are documented social media postings that directly dispute what Lemelle reported to the court, this information is not widely known." 

"This has led many onlookers to believe that there was no merit for Lemelle's claim of fear, rather an excuse to retaliate against the victim," the report stated. 

The investigation revealed that surveillance video helped conclude the report. "We were able to determine through video footage of the incident in question that Lemelle was not present nor was she in any danger at or during the time that she accused the crime victim of wrongdoing," the report stated.

The report also detailed that "Glendale Police Department and Glendale Fire Department were onsite at the time which directly contradicts any claims of public disturbance.” 

The investigation revealed that "Lemelle has been publicly linked to the victim for over a decade." The report said "Lemelle was well aware” that the individual was a crime victim. 

The investigation stated that Lemelle told the court "she has at least 5 different addresses that causes me to be on high alert everywhere I go." 

The report found "Lemelle was aware that the victim had been under restraining orders and even knowing of the victim's history as a crime victim chose to publicly disclose addresses for the crime victim."   

According to the report, "Lemelle wrote in court documents that the person has exhibited multiple personalities, unstable and delusional disorder."

"The investigation was not able to substantiate any of the personal attacks levied against the crime victim by Lemelle. The victim is credible and the attacks on the victim are extremely alarming, several prominent leaders said," the report stated.

"We have serious concerns about the demeaning of the victim by a professional person claiming publicly to be an advocate for women's rights and girls empowerment. The findings provide further evidence of how victims of violence can be revictimized," the coalition said.

The investigation found "the day before the trial Christina Havis, an unlicensed process server, delivered the court continuance papers to the address listed for the victims attorney in Pasadena. 

Havis serves as the Talent Manager and VP of Operations for Platinum Star Media Group, Inc., one of Lemelle's companies, the report stated. 

The investigation determined that "Lemelle provided false and misleading information under oath in the court documents delivered by Havis, which allowed her to wrongly execute the continuance."

"Lemelle misled the court by misrepresenting herself as the victim to wrongfully secure an extension of nearly two months on a restraining order as a result of providing false information under oath," the investigation concluded.

The report said "domestic violence victims-survivors need greater support from the judicial system, the city, police department’s leadership as well as nonprofit organizations, adding that all parties should think meaningfully about how to better address the issues these victims-survivors face."

“We conclude that in deliberately misleading the court Lemelle committed a serious offense,” the coalition said:

The investigation concluded “the offense was all the more serious because it was committed by a self-professed social change activist, and shameful for a former Commissioner for the Commission on the Status of Women, who claims to advocate for the empowerment of women locally, nationally, and globally," the coalition said.

“At the highest level, these are the types of things that inspire us to engage in collective action to bring about change. As difficult as this report is to read, it has been even more painful for domestic violence advocates, whether known or unknown, to recognize the breakdowns in leadership," the coalition said.

More on this story at Viral Social Trends https://viralsocialtrends.com/ex-commissioner-marie-lemelle-under-fire-for-falsely-accusing-domestic-violence-victim-of-threatening-her