Neutral Milk Hotel's Julian Koster Granted Protection Order Against Grooming Accuser

Skip to ContentNewsNeutral Milk Hotel’s Julian Koster Granted Protection Order Against Grooming AccuserBy Tom Breihan6:01 PM EST on March 2, 2026Share on FacebookShare on RedditShare on EmailShare on Bluesky3CommentsIn 2024, the musician Anna "Nesey" Gallons accused Julian Koster, a member of Neutral Milk Hotel, of grooming her and sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager. In a series of Instagram posts, Gallons wrote that she and Koster began a phone and email correspondence in 2000, when she was 15, and that he wrote that she was his "soulmate." She also says that this turned into a sexual relationship when she was 16 and that he sexually assaulted her twice in 2005. In response, Koster said that he did, in fact, have a sexual relationship with the 16-year-old Gallons, but he also described himself as "the victim of intimidation, manipulation, and abuse by Nesey Gallons for many years." Now, Koster has been granted a protection from abuse order against Gallons and her partner.Nesey Gallons was a member of Elephant 6, the Athens, Georgia collective that included Neutral Milk Hotel. She played in the Music Tapes, a band led by Koster. In a statement after the accusations, Koster said that his "consensual relationship" with Gallons began when she was 16, the age of consent in Georgia at the time, and he was 28, and that it continued until 2008. Koster wrote, "It was wrong to allow the relationship to happen at all and I’ve apologized to Nesey many times for that. I should have been more responsible about the age gap, but I deny all the other accusations she’s made."On Saturday, the Bangor Daily News reported that a district judge in Bangor, where Gallons lives, found Gallons to be a "credible threat" to Koster's safety. She's barred from contacting Koster or owning weapons until February 2028. In his court filing, Koster wrote, "My friendship with Anna has been tumultuous, and I suffered years of emotional, verbal, financial, and more recently, physical abuse." Koster claims that Gallons and her partner "demanded that I join a polyamorous relationship with both of them and co-parent their children — or else (i.e., they would destroy me, destroy themselves, etc.)" In his court filing, Koster reportedly accuses both Gallons and her partner of sexual assault. He says that he stayed with them for three weeks in 2024 and that they yelled at him, calling him names like "bastard" and "scoundrel" and exerting "tremendous pressure" to have sex with them. Koster claims that he eventually gave into their sexual demands after suffering from a panic attack and that he felt "emotionally brutalized" afterwards. He says that he cut off contact with them and changed his number afterward and that Gallons accused him of grooming shortly after that. Gallons and her partner reportedly filed counter protective orders against Koster, which were denied after Koster's order was granted. You can read the full Bangor Daily News report here.If you or someone you know is undergoing sexual abuse, please visit rainn.org or contact the National Sexual Assault Helpline at 1-800-656-4673.Share on FacebookShare on RedditShare on EmailShare on BlueskyTom Breihan@tombreihan.bsky.socialRead More:Circulatory System,Elephant 6,Julian Koster,Nesey Gallons,Neutral Milk Hotel,The Music TapesGET THE STEREOGUM DIGESTThe week's most important music stories and least important music memes.EmailSign upMore from NewsExplore NewsNewsLily Allen Performs New Album At First Concert In Seven YearsMarch 2, 2026New MusicCashier – “The Weight”March 2, 2026NewsFred again.. Brought Out Thomas Bangalter For Daft Punk Classics At London Residency CloserMarch 1, 2026NewsWatch Billy Strings, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, & More Play O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack 25th Anniversary ConcertMarch 1, 2026NewsNipsey Hussle Square Unveiled In LA Seven Years After City ApprovalMarch 1, 2026NewsWatch Mumford & Sons & Hozier & Aaron Dessner & Sierra Ferrell Play SNLMarch 1, 2026