Dozens of women in the Tulsa area have come forward against Scott Taylor with claims of sexual assault.
Scott Taylor has been an influential artist in the Tulsa area for many years now. He debuted in 2014 and made an impression with his bold color choices and abstract compositions. However, Taylor has recently begun to lose support in the Tulsa community as a whole, not just on the art scene. He has recently been accused of sexual misconduct and assault, not only with female clinents whom he would invite to his studio and then attempt to pressure into sex, but his own step-children.
Sydney Turner and Kylie Wells, two women Taylor previously worked with, originally came forward, posting their separate stories on Twitter with Taylor, which then encouraged and welcomed over 50 other women to come forward with their own stories. Most of the women share a similar story. They are aspiring or working artists, and he invites them to his home or his studio under the impression that they would be collaborating on a piece or another similar effect, but then pushes for more than the women asked for in a place where they feel trapped.
Taylor’s former step daughter, Madelyn Taylor, posted a photo of a document that shows that alleged claims of sexual abuse had been substanciated by the human rights department and that Taylor was not to be around his children for their own protection. Scott Taylor’s response to the post was that the document was part of the diviorce proceedings and was part of an ongoing custody battle at the time.
However, Taylor still has a supporter or two. One woman who previously had a romantic relationship with Taylor, and who has wished to remain anonymous in fear of public backlash, told FOX23 News that she does not believe the allegations against Taylor and that she has never perceived him as a man who would force himself on a woman if she did not want him to continue. She states that she “never felt uncomfortable or uneasy.”
Currently, there have been multiple reports filed against Taylor and the Tulsa Police Department’s Special Victims Unit is investigating further. Casey and Madelyn Taylor filed a new official police report against Scott Taylor and a judge gave custody of Taylor’s two younger children to Casey while the investigations are underway.
In wake of the claims, media showing or supporting Taylor’s work is being removed and taken down. Living Arts of Tulsa posted on Instagram that they want to “distance [themselves] from him and his art.” Local publications are also taking down articles that feature Taylor and his work.
Taylor has maintained the position that the allegations against him are false, and that he is being slandered and harassed. Online, he made a public statement stating that “this is a hateful attack on [his] character.” His legal team is at work on how to best proceed.
Wells’ attorney, Leslie Briggs, says that she is looking forward to hearing more as this case unfolds and “If Scott believes he has some kind of claim against these women for telling their truths, I’ll be curious to see what that claim is.”
