Limp Bizkit’s Wes Borland accuses ex-wife Queen Kwong of defamation

Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland has accused his ex-wife Carré Callaway of defamation, according to a legal filing obtained by Rolling Stone.

Borland, who also fronts the band Big Dumb Face, claimed that Callaway, AKA Queen Kwong, attempted to profit off of talking about him in an interview, which included claims that were subsequently published in an album review.

According to Rolling Stone, the filing cites a 2022 interview that Callaway did with Bandcamp Daily, which claimed that Borland gave Calloway three days to move out from their Detroit home along with several rescue cats when their marriage broke down.

One track from her 2022 album ‘Couples Only’, called ‘The Mourning Song’, was written in memory of her disabled cat Daisy, who Callaway is quoted in the interview as saying “died a week after he left because he was the only one who could care for her”.

Borland’s filing also references a review in Flood Magazine, in which the same author of the interview repeats the claims, while also suggesting that the song ‘Emdr Atm’ details “the kind of gaslighting Callaway received from Borland”.

A judge will reportedly hear Borland’s petition today (January 17), with Borland asking for Callaway “to show cause why she should not be held in contempt for her refusal to comply with this Court’s Judgment [the divorce decree].”

Their divorce agreement, signed in 2020, stated that “neither party may make speeches, give interviews, or make public statements that defame the other party”.

According to court documents, the press statements “intentionally do what Ms. Callaway was expressly prohibited from doing.

“They adversely affect Mr. Borland’s public image and reputation that he has built over a twenty-plus–year career,” is continues, adding that it is an attempt at “destroying Mr. Borland’s extraordinary and hard-earned professional reputation.”

In a statement shared with Rolling Stone, Callaway said: “The TRUTH CANNOT BE DEFAMATORY.

“This action is simply a tactic to bully, intimidate, and silence me. This is an attempt to financially ruin me, exhaust my physical well-being and denigrate my credibility with the explicit intent of causing harm to my career. This is an overall attack on freedom of speech and artistic expression. What does it mean for indie musicians like myself —who can’t afford to even tour these days — to have to worry about fighting frivolous lawsuits. What does it mean for women who are already afraid to tell their stories? What does it mean for journalists if their words can be spun to silence the very women they’re trying to give a platform to?”

Borland’s attorney, B. Andrew Rifkin, told Rolling Stone: “Mr. Borland’s post-judgment motion has nothing to do with any issues beyond what each of the parties agreed to do as part of the finalization of their 2019 divorce case. The parties’ Judgment of Divorce requires both Mr. Borland and Ms. Callaway to refrain from ‘… mak[ing] speeches, giv[ing] interviews, or mak[ing] statements that defame the other party.’ Mr. Borland has fully complied with that provision, and he is asking the Family Court to make clear to Ms. Callaway that she has the same obligation to comply that Mr. Borland has.

“Mr. Borland wishes Ms. Callaway the best in her career,” Rifkin continued. “He does not wish to limit her artistic expression, but as part of their divorce settlement, both parties agreed to keep their opinions about their divorce private and refrain from making negative public comments about the other party.”

Borland is asking for $5000 (£4,100) for “costs and attorney fees” and for the court to sanction Callaway.

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