The punk scene took a blow this week as a federal judge ruled that Justin Sane—real name Justin Geever, and former frontman of politically-charged punk outfit Anti-Flag—must pay nearly $2 million to Kristina Sarhadi, a survivor who accused him of rape and emotional trauma stemming from an incident dating back to 2003.
The ruling, issued Tuesday (July 22) by Chief U.S. District Judge Brenda K. Sannes, includes $1.17 million in damages and $750,000 in punitive penalties, marking a grim full stop in a case that’s sent shockwaves far beyond punk circles.
Who Were Anti-Flag?
For those unfamiliar, Anti-Flag were a band that prided themselves on activism, political commentary, and anti-establishment values. Formed in Pittsburgh in 1988, they spent three decades rallying against war, corporate greed, racism, and oppression. They played Warped Tours, signed with Fat Wreck Chords and eventually RCA, and positioned themselves as punk’s moral compass in an increasingly apathetic world.
Then, in July 2023, it all crumbled.
The Fall of Justin Sane and the Band’s Sudden Collapse
Rumors began swirling in the summer of 2023 after Kristina Sarhadi appeared anonymously on a podcast titled enough, recounting a harrowing assault by the singer of a “well-known political punk band.” Though she didn’t name names, online speculation quickly turned to Justin Sane.
Within days, Anti-Flag disbanded, scrubbed their social media, and went completely silent. Sane issued a statement denying the allegations, calling them “categorically false” and claiming they were “the antithesis” of everything he believed in.
But the silence didn’t last. Over the following weeks, twelve more women came forward with similar accusations against him.
By September 2023, the remaining band members released a sobering statement via Rolling Stone, saying:
“We want to have compassion and have faith in restorative justice, but f*ck you for hurting so many people.”
They made it clear: Justin Sane was out. Anti-Flag was over.
The Legal Battle and Its Aftermath
In November 2023, Sarhadi officially filed a lawsuit for sexual assault and battery, stating that the trauma left her with night terrors and suicidal ideation. While a portion of the lawsuit attempting to hold his former bandmates accountable was dismissed earlier this year, the case against Geever continued.
Despite several attempts to serve him, Sane never formally responded. According to court documents, his legal team ceased communication, and Sarhadi’s attorney claimed the singer had transferred assets overseas and may have fled the country.
That led to Tuesday’s default judgment, a rare but powerful legal victory in a case involving historical sexual assault.
Sarhadi Speaks Out
In a statement following the ruling, Sarhadi didn’t mince words.
“Geever’s silence, absence, and cowardice simply prove what I have known privately for 15 years: There are no heroes.”
She acknowledged the deep scars left by the ordeal but also the solidarity she found among survivors.
“I’m proud of every person who has used this moment to give their shame back to their perpetrator… and humbled by the solidarity of survivors on every continent.”
Her closing words were a call to action—not just for justice, but for systemic change:
“I’m enraged that patterns of abuse like his continue to escalate in every arena, and more determined than ever to expose and disrupt them.”
A Cautionary End to a Once-Righteous Band
Anti-Flag’s music once screamed against injustice. But the silence that followed these allegations was deafening. The band’s legacy is now inextricably tied to the betrayal of the very values they preached from the stage.
No gods. No masters.
And, as it turns out, no heroes either.
