By Frank Parlato
A federal civil lawsuit in Washington, D.C. centers on a claim that a series of sexual assaults caused a woman’s cancer. Now, the accused man – a wealthy, retired CEO – is suing her for defamation, claiming her story is an elaborate lie crafted to extort him.
The case involves retired Adams-Burch CEO Dan M. Blaylock, 70, and Petra Smeltzer Starke, 51, a lawyer and former White House counsel in the Obama administration.
In December 2023, Blaylock sued Starke for defamation; four months later, she countersued, alleging his sexual assaults caused her anal cancer.
Blaylock claims their relationship was entirely consensual and that he gave Starke over $1 million.
Starke’s story involves non-consensual, physically injurious anal intercourse and the forcible insertion of a butt plug, causing tears and rupturing her colon.
She alleges that he failed to disclose that he had a sexually transmitted infection (STI), likely a high-risk type of HPV. This specific virus causes over 90% of all anal cancers, creating the biological foundation for her legal argument.
Blaylock’s Extortion Claim
Blaylock alleges that when he ended the relationship and stopped paying her medical bills in June 2022, Starke retaliated by:
Extorting Him: Threatening to publicly accuse him of rape and abuse in a “documentary” unless he met her demands for money.
Defaming Him: Sending damaging videos and emails to his family and friends.
Invading His Privacy: Hacking his devices and accounts to steal and distribute private messages and photos.
A Mysterious Website
An anonymous website, danblaylock.com, appears to support some of Starke’s claims. It hosts blurred explicit images of Blaylock, photos of compromising scenes, and drugs, along with accusations of drug use and reckless sexual behavior.
Paradoxically, the website also appears to support Blaylock’s hacking allegations. The private photos seem to have come from his personal devices and appear to be selfies. The identity of the site’s operator remains unknown.
A Pattern of Alleged Violence: The Initial Assaults
In her cross-complaint, Starke alleges that Blaylock, while under the influence of drugs, repeatedly raped her.
The filing details several incidents:
The Alleged Cycle Begins: Assault, Apology, and Return
In early 2020, Starke alleges that Blaylock lured her to a Las Vegas hotel suite. There, he used his company’s FedEx account to ship himself drugs, went on a days-long erratic binge, and then assaulted her.
The complaint alleges:
“He slammed the door and began demanding that Starke have sex with him.”
Starke said she was menstruating. Blaylock “pushed her onto one of the beds… ripped off Starke’s clothing and raped her…
“Throughout the encounter, Starke was screaming, crying, and bleeding. Blaylock just kept screaming ‘F*$! me like a rockstar!’ After Blaylock ejaculated, he passed out on the bed. The bed was covered in blood….”
Starke planned to end the relationship. However, when Blaylock became sick and was hospitalized, he apologized, blamed his actions on his drug addiction, and promised to recover. As a result, Starke decided to stay with him.
Washington DC
During a visit to Washington, D.C. in early 2020, Blaylock, allegedly high on drugs, forcibly sodomized Starke, causing her severe pain. She said she had never had anal sex before.
He apologized and blamed his actions on trauma from his late wife’s death and a recent breakup.
Her countersuit claims:
“Despite Blaylock’s apologies, he sodomized Starke on three other occasions in the ensuing months – each time without Starke’s consent.
“On one such occasion, Blaylock used a ‘butt plug.’ On that occasion, Blaylock injured Starke to the point of bleeding and feces coming out, causing Starke tremendous pain.
“Within months after this incident, Starke was diagnosed with rectal cancer. Starke is informed and believes, and on that basis alleges, that the ‘butt plug’ used by Blaylock and/or the other occasions on which Blaylock sodomized Starke caused or contributed to the development of the cancer.”
Starke alleges that the non-consensual assault with a butt plug caused a fistula. Combined with the transmission of HPV, she claims this directly led to her anal cancer.
Blaylock admits to using the butt plug but claims it was consensual.
Assaults Amidst a Medical Crisis
In May 2021, while severely weakened from cancer treatment, including chemotherapy, Starke visited Blaylock at a Sarasota hotel.
According to the cross-complaint:
“Blaylock jumped on top of Starke and forced her down. He stripped off Starke’s clothing and underwear and raped her. During the whole episode, Starke was crying hysterically and screaming for him to stop. …During the ordeal, Starke felt an incredible amount of pain as her vaginal wall tore.
“The next day, Starke began noticing that feces was coming from her vagina and discovered that the rape had caused a fistula to form between her vagina and rectum. Ultimately, the injury required surgery to correct, but (she) has never fully recovered….
“After the incident, Blaylock again expressed remorse and blamed his drug use for the assault. Unfortunately, Starke believed him and did not end the relationship.”
Second Las Vegas Assault
In mid-2021, Blaylock accompanied Starke to the Cleveland Clinic for cancer consultations. Afterward, they stopped in Las Vegas. Blaylock had drugs shipped to the hotel, she alleges.
The complaint states that at the hotel, Blaylock:
“covered up Starke’s mouth and pulled off her clothes. He then proceeded to forcibly rape her despite her crying and attempts to force him off of her. But Blaylock would not stop and only got off of her after he ejaculated. Due to Starke’s injury, there were feces on the bed and her fistula had been ripped wider open.”
“Starke and Blaylock did not speak for a while after that,” the complaint continues. “Eventually, however, Blaylock again indicated to Starke that his actions had been caused by his drug addiction and that things would be better. Starke unfortunately believed him once again.”
Alleged Miami Assault (April 2022)
In April 2022, Starke was recovering from two major cancer-related surgeries and ongoing treatment.
“As a result of the recent surgeries, Starke’s physicians had ordered her to abstain from any sexual behavior for at least six months or until cleared by them.”
During an April 2022 trip to Miami, Blaylock pressured Starke for sex, ignoring her recent cancer surgeries. His drug-fueled irritability grew throughout the visit, she alleged. On the final day, he claimed to be ill. As she was packing to leave, he called her to his bedroom, insisting he needed help.
“Blaylock then threw Starke onto his bed and climbed on top of her. Starke attempted to fight, but given …Starke’s weakness from her cancer treatments, she could not force him off of her…
“Despite Starke crying and screaming for Blaylock to stop, Blaylock raped Starke. After he ejaculated, Blaylock got off of Starke and showered.
“Starke went to her bedroom and laid on the bed for some time crying. She then packed her things and tried to leave. Blaylock stopped her from leaving right away. He cried and tried to excuse what he had just done. Eventually, Starke was able to leave with just enough time to get to the airport.”
The Alleged Final Assaults: The Relationship’s End
Starke traveled to Madrid for a business trip to earn money. Blaylock offered to join her and cover her expenses. She alleges his behavior was good at first but then became erratic from drug use, culminating in him pushing her onto a bed and stripping her.
The cross-complaint alleges:
“Despite Starke’s begging, pleading, and crying, Blaylock continued to rape her while screaming ‘F^@! me like a rock star!’”
After Madrid, they had planned to go to Rome. Starke felt trapped as Blaylock controlled their travel documents, she alleged. In Rome, after a short period of improved behavior, he resumed drug use. On their last night, Starke alleges she went to bed alone while he used cocaine.
The cross-complaint alleges:
“Blaylock then came into their room and started berating her for being ‘boring.’ Blaylock kept insisting that she needed to get out of bed and have fun with him.
“Blaylock first got into bed and started touching Starke and pulling the covers off of her. He then began kissing her and removing her clothes. Starke began begging him to stop and leave her alone. She started crying and tried fighting to keep him off of her… Blaylock raped Starke once again. Through the whole ordeal, Starke was lying there, crying and screaming. Blaylock once again kept yelling ‘F$&! me like a rockstar!’ until he was finished.”
The morning after, Starke confronted Blaylock, accusing him of rape and ending their relationship.
Hotel Bel Air Rape (May 2022)
Still financially dependent, a wary Starke agreed to join Blaylock once more at a luxurious hotel in May 2022. She limited her time alone with him out of fear.
After a concert, Blaylock binged on drugs. The next day, when Starke returned to the suite to change for a business meeting, he trapped her in the bedroom, threw her on the bed, and raped her while she cried and screamed, she alleged.
Afterwards, Starke fled and confided in a colleague that she had been raped.
The relationship ended after Los Angeles. Blaylock cut off all financial support for Starke’s cancer treatments.
Blaylock’s “Smoking Gun”: Affectionate Messages
Despite this alleged pattern of violence, Blaylock’s defense hinges on evidence from the relationship itself.
He argues that Starke’s rape and sexual assault allegations are contradicted by her communications following the alleged incidents. He shows examples where Starke sent him nude photos, sexually explicit messages, and expressed affection for him in texts shortly after the alleged assaults.
Blaylock included this photo in his lawsuit. The complaint states: “The photograph of Starke in the red bathing suit was taken by her, in the very Miami condo where she now claims the rape occurred.”
“Rather than stating that their sexual encounter was forced, she instead refers to the parties’ ‘first beautiful comeback weekend,’ stating to Blaylock that he had ‘made me so happy that weekend and we had the best time. I would stay with you anywhere and go anywhere. You are such a special guy. I [love] U Dan.’”
He said Starke repeatedly expressed her love for him in texts and emails, referring to him as her “rock,”
The Psychology of Trauma Bonding
If it goes to trial, a key question for the jury will be why Starke returned to Blaylock despite her allegations.
She argues that this was not a simple choice, but the result of a cycle of abuse, financial dependence, and manipulation. After the assaults, Blaylock would apologize, cry, blame his drug addiction or past trauma, and promise to change. He used financial support for her cancer treatments and promises of a future to keep her in the relationship.
Mental health experts recognize this cycle of abuse and reward as a mechanism for forming a powerful trauma bond.
Starke stated she remained in the relationship, hoping to restore the ‘good’ version of Blaylock, believing it was his “true character.”
Facing a life-threatening illness, Blaylock was her financial lifeline for treatment. This created a paradox: enduring further abuse was the price she had to pay for a chance to survive.
Victims of abuse, in a context of traumatic bonding, often use strategies like sending affectionate messages or photos to manage their abuser’s emotions and maintain a sense of safety. Experts state this is a survival mechanism to prevent further violence or to secure essential needs—like the financial support required for her cancer treatment—from the same person who is both her abuser and her lifeline.
She was fighting Stage 3 cancer, undergoing chemo and radiation, and recovering from major surgeries (hysterectomy, ileostomy), which left her physically depleted and mentally foggy. Her weight dropped to 94 lbs. on a 5’11” frame.
The cross-complaint alleges:
“Starke was afraid that if she ended the romantic relationship with Blaylock and went to the police, Blaylock would stop paying for her cancer treatments, which Starke was afraid she could not otherwise afford.”
Blaylock put her affectionate texts and nude photos she sent to him in his complaint to show that the relationship was consensual, arguing that a person does not send such messages to their rapist.
Attacking Credibility: The Kenny Hill Allegations
Blaylock portrays Starke as a calculated operator citing her alleged attempts to secure financial support from billionaire Kenny Hill, including a 2020 email where she allegedly planned to manipulate Hill by appealing to his “ego and desire/lust” to get money, then cut him off.
Starke denies the allegation. She admits to using strategic language with Hill, but claims it was to collect debts Hill owed but refused to pay.
Blaylock also countered Starke’s allegation that he caused her cancer by stating that initially, she blamed Hill and her former employer, Bikram Choudury, for causing her cancer through stress.
It wasn’t until June 2022—after Blaylock cut off financial support—that she began to blame him, Blaylock alleges.
Wealth, Power, and Financial Dependence
Blaylock portrays himself in the lawsuit as a supportive caregiver during her illness and attempts to attack Starke’s credibility based on her “precarious financial situation” after losing her job as CEO of Bikram Yoga College.
Blaylock does not explain that the loss of the job was caused not by Starke but a high-profile sex scandal – not involving Starke – that exposed the founder Bikram Choudury as an alleged sexual predator.
Choudury fled the country owing Starke more than $900,000, evidenced by a judgment in Starke’s favor that remains unpaid.
Blaylock frames the over $1 million that Blaylock gave Starke as the result of her manipulation, rather than as a gesture of generosity or support between partners. He lists the payments as advances for specific emergencies (eviction, medical bills, foreclosure).
The Stakes and The Lawyers
Starke is currently in Mexico undergoing experimental cancer treatment.
The national law firm Venable LLP represents Blaylock. The Venable team on the case includes Jessie Beeber, Baltimore, Jake W Goodman and Sarika Andavolu, New York, William J Briggs, Los Angeles, and David A. Levie, Washington, DC.
Los Angeles attorney Keith Berglund represents Starke.
Berglund is an entertainment and litigation lawyer whose clients include Universal Entertainment, BMG, Sony, EMI, Fox Films, eOne Entertainment (Death Row Records), Madonna, Gloria Estefan, CIT, Bank of America, CitiCorp, Heller Financial, Hyatt Corporation, and Pope Saint John Paul II.
The case revolves around conflicting allegations of assault and defamation, with a cancer causation claim as the most severe allegation.
With it, the case transforms into a high-stakes legal debate over medical responsibility and whether one person’s actions can be deemed the cause of another’s catastrophic illness. Without it, it is a case of ‘he said, she said’ in a relationship gone bad.
A Pattern of Allegations and Next Steps
FrankReport interviewed Christina DePaul, a former dean of Cochran College, who spoke on the record of her own relationship with Blaylock – one that predated Starke’s. Her allegations are strikingly like Starke’s, including drugs, violence, reckless sex, fraud, and the luring of an educated and successful woman with promises unkept and leaving a life decimated by conduct both destructive and vengeful.
In our next post in this investigative series, FrankReport will explore those alleged similarities.
FrankReport called Dan Blaylock and left a message. He did not return the call.
Frank Report reached his attorney-brother Bruce Blaylock, who promised a return call but did not keep the appointment.
Frank Report reached Petra Starke who declined to comment.
