this is "nightline." >> tonight, reversal of fortune? the surgeon and his girlfriend, swingers, accused of drugging and raping multiple women. >> to see your face on the news, 24/7 for weeks, for a crime you didn't commit, something horrendous and horrible. >> now a new da wants to drop the charges. >> there is not a single piece of evidence that shows an unconscious or incapacitated woman being sexually assaulted. >> a chance for exoneration. plus. ♪ friday, friday ♪ got to get down on friday >> friday blues. she caught fire with a super

catchy tune. now the singer behind the musical moment revealing her battle with depression, after brutal bullying. >> have people telling you that you should kill yourself. >> how she's bouncing back with a new sweetheart. ♪ don't call me your sweetheart ♪ ♪ >> but first, the "nightline" five.

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good evening. thanks for joining us. tonight, a california surgeon, sharing a lurid limelight with his girlfriend, swingers accused of drugging and raping women. how their flashy life has fallen into shambles, and now the stunning twist and the potential for vindication. here's abc's kayna wit worth. >> reporter: newport beach couple grant robicheaux and his girlfriend, accused of luring women to their home, drugging the assaults.em and recording facing life in prison and publicly vilified. >> i was fired from every job within an hour. no presumption of innocence. >> reporter: when suddenly last week the orange county district attorney announced he would ask a judge to dismiss all the charges. >> it's like i can breathe again. >> still in shock. >> reporter: the couple walked into court last friday, hoping for complete vindication, but

after hearing two emotional victim impact statements, one from a woman who alleges she was raped by robicheaux 11 years ago, saying the man that raped me was in the news for raping others. i didn't stop him when i could. the judge delayed his decisions, asking all parties to prepare briefs. >> i consider this a huge victory for victims. >> my heart goes out to grant and sarissa. it's waking up on christmas morning and seeing that the tree's empty. >> reporter: their future once again uncertain. just a few years ago, the couple enjoyed an envy-inducing life. >> surgeon, makes a lot of firms eyes light up. >> reporter: appeared in a bravo tv episode of "dating rituals of the american male", and riley's youtube page showing their exotic destinations, their world

fell apart in september of 2018, when then orange county district attorney tony rackauckas announced that a dozen charges had been filed against robicheaux and riley. >> we believe the defendants used their good looks and charm to lower the inhibitions of their potential prey. >> reporter: he disclosed that two jane does had come forward, accusing the pair of drugging and sexually assaulting them. he said they had videos and were looking for more victims. >> they appeared to be highly intoxicated beyond the ability to consent or resist and were barely responsive to the defendants' sexual advances. based on this evidence, we believe that there might be many unidentified victims out there. >> reporter: at the time they were charged, robicheaux and riley said they cooperated and passed two polygraph tests, points they emphasized when they sat down with me last week.

it's my understanding you turned over all the electronics right away. >> yeah, of course. >> reporter: knowing what was -- >> nothing to hide. >> reporter: the couple has admitted to living a swinger lifestyle but has always maintained they did the no sexually assault anyone. >> reporter: how would you describe your lifestyle? >> not very uncommon in orange county. >> reporter: you mentioned what you view as false allegations against you, you said even the truth is a bit shocking for your family members to learn. >> yeah. i mean, i think my -- >> i don't -- >> grandma. >> i never intended to talk to my mother about what happens in my bedroom. >> i think everyone in my family were like, does she like women? is she gay? >> tough conversations to have with your parents. >> reporter: as more women started to come forward, though, did you ever think in your own mind, did we cross the line at some point? >> never. >> absolutely not. >> never, never, never, never.

>> absolutely not. >> reporter: they claim they are victims of a political firestorm. in 2018, during a fierce election campaign, the current orange county district attorney, todd spitzer, accused his predecessor of using the case to get attention for his reelection. later, rackauckas admitted in deposition in the couple's pending civil case to being influenced by wanting to win. >> so under oath, mr. rackauckas gets asked these questions. did you think that the publicity may be helpful in your campaign? yes. and that was the thought. you wanted to help your campaign. i assume you wanted to get reelected. yes. >> reporter: last week, spitzer disclosed that none of the videos collected had evidence showing anything remotely like what rackauckas had described. >> it's literally mind-blowing. because it's 100% contradiction of what my predecessor told you.

there is not a single piece of evidence or video or photo that shows an unconscious or incapacitated woman being sexually assaulted. >> reporter: did you ever think, what if one of those women was too inebriated to really give consent? >> there wasn't ever a question. >> never. never a question. >> never a question. people were very actively involved, stimulated. unconscious woman is not very fun to have a party with. i mean, it's crazy. people are very active, alert and proactive in these videos. >> reporter: but rackauckas still alleges the alleged victims' claims have merit. >> it's not easy for these ladies to come forward and bear their soul about such humiliating things and make their statement to the authorities, and they've done that with the expectation that this case would be, would be prosecuted.

>> the question becomes were they swingers or were they rapists? if they were literally just people out there swinging, people can judge them, but you can't prosecute them. >> reporter: as they await their fate, the couple has lived in what they have described as exile. a life that's a far cry from what they once had. seen here in videos, robicheaux recorded for abc news. >> another nightmare. >> you got to take whatever's given to you. you got to learn to love lemonade. >> i do miss all the patients and all the people i had to care for. >> reporter: robicheaux had been a successful orthopedic surgeon seen near a youtube video promoting his practice. his license now suspended. >> medicine was my life. it's a lifestyle. and i loved what i did. >> reporter: how does that actually work? do you reapply for this medical

license? can it be reissued to you? >> i'm just trying to figure out this rollercoaster, to get off of it. it's out of control, you just got to stop and breathe. >> reporter: robicheaux says they've been afraid for their lives. >> i feared every time i walked my dog that someone was going to shoot or stab me. somebody was going to follow through with these threats on me or my family. >> reporter: you were getting actual death threats. >> you couldn't stop it. >> reporter: but despite their pleas of innocence, the alleged victims paint an entirely different picture. another woman describing in a victim impact statement what it felt like to hear the charges would likely be dismissed, writing, i felt victimized all over again. i will now have to pick up the pieces of my life and move on, but it will be tough. those powerful words never heard by robicheaux, who left the courtroom during the reading. the fact that grant left the room during the victim impact

statements, what does that mean? >> despicable, despicable. whether he feels he's innocent or not, these are women that were victimized or at least that felt victimized. in their heart of hearts, they were raped. >> at this point, the most the alleged victims can really hope for is that the prosecutors will be forced to change their minds. >> reporter: the couple will now have to wait until april 3rd for another hearing. but say regardless of the outcome, the damage has been done. >> they had a successful life. professionally. and they had a very fulfilling life. and they had relationships and friends. and that's gone. >> i'll be honest, that i, i did, i thought about suicide. and i thought it was the only way out. that was just make it stop. >> reporter: robicheaux and riley insist the truth will come out. >> that's why we're here today. i don't want this to happen to

anybody else. it can't. i mean, we had the means. we had the strength, we had the network of people around us. to fight this. >> reporter: for "nightline," kayna wit worth, los angeles. >> our thanks to kayna. up next t's almost friday, but for rebecca black, it's the tune that changed her life forever. ♪ it's friday, it's friday, got to get down on friday ♪ ♪ everybody's looking forward to the weekend, weekend ♪ if you've been dreaming about tender wild-caught lobster, dig in to butter-poached, fire-roasted and shrimp & lobster linguini. see? dreams do come true. or if you like a taste of new england without leaving home, try lobster, sautéed with crab, jumbo shrimp and more, or maybe you'd like to experience the ultimate surf and the ultimate turf... with so many lobster dishes, there's something for every lobster fan so hurry in and let's lobsterfest. or get pick up or delivery at redlobster.com unlike ordinary memory wsupplements-neuriva?

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i'm tom steyer and i approve this message - because there is nothing more powerful than the unified voice of the american people. rebecca black is back.

and she's revealing a brutally honest truth on friday. no, not the day, but the viral hit that launched her into a household name and thrust her into a world of extreme hurt. heres an abc's kaley hartung. >> you know, i had this insane thing happen to me when i was 13. but now i have a story to share. >> reporter: the song "friday", took america by storm nine years ago. ♪ lookin' forward to the weekend ♪ >> reporter: at the center of it all, rebecca black, just 13 years old, becoming an overnight celebrity, but also facing a terrible backlash. >> i became unbelievably depressed. and trapped in this body of what i thought the world would see me as forever. when i hadn't even finished growing. >> reporter: just this week, rebecca's social media posts about that tumultuous time going

viral. the 22-year-old writing this letter to her younger self on instagram and twitter in the hopes of helping others. >> i'm trying to remind myself more and more that every day is an opportunity to shift your reality and lift spirit. you are not defined by any one choice. >> reporter: how did you get to this place of honesty with yourself? >> in order for me to have any sort of successful life, whatever you want to call that, there was a lot of emotional things that needed to be addressed. >> reporter: she says she grappled with low self-esteem and pressure as a teenager. when did depression become a real thing in your sniend. >> i don't know if there was a specific moment. i just kind of found myself there. >> reporter: rebecca's upbeat song about the end of the week was recorded for fun. >> "friday" was a flash in the pan for me.

christmas break, i'll have all my friends there and maybe my grandmother will see it. >> reporter: her mother paid music producers $4,000 this video. over 100 million people watched it on youtube. it became a cultural moment, inspiring spoofs. and providing fodder for late-night comedians. >> it's the day before friday, the day after wednesday, two days after tuesday. >> reporter: katy perry even asked her to be in the video for her song "last friday night." >> i got to work with katy perry and be on set of like a lady gaga music video. there were crazy things that made it feel positive. >> reporter: but rebecca says she was also bullied at school and online. >> having people tell you that you don't belong where you want to be, that you should kill yourself. having to then reflect on all of

that as a teenager is an unbelievable experience. ♪ friday, friday >> reporter: back in 2011, abc cameras were with rebecca at her home at the height of her fame. ♪ at the weekend >> reporter: she addressed her critices. some had called it the worst song ever recorded. >> i don't think i'm the worst singer, but i don't think i'm the best singer. >> reporter: lady gaga famously came to her defense. >> i think rebecca black is a genius, and anyone telling hershey's cheesy is full of [ bleep ]. >> reporter: but she still faced an onslaught of cruelty online. >> you're so fat. and you'll never be pretty. you suck at singing. >> reporter: and in person. >> when i walk by, they'll start singing "friday" in a really nasally voice or they'll be like hey, rebecca, guess what day it

is! >> reporter: the teasing became so intense, rebecca opted to be home schooled. her mother taking over as her teacher. >> it's hard to go to school when you are so famous, and to have kids constantly making fun of what's going on. >> reporter: she got death threats. ♪ >> reporter: at the time, the teenager seemed to be taking it all in stride. >> i've had a lot of experience with not being liked. i think if i hadn't had to deal with that in the past i totally would have handled this differently and i would have gone down in burning flames. but i, i've learned that you just can't let it get to you. >> when i first saw all these nasty comments -- >> reporter: but it turns out all the bullying was getting to her. we played her that interview from 2011. >> i did cry. i felt like this was my fault. >> um, it's hard to watch.

because i was just trying to be the hundreds of different types of people i thought everybody wanted me to be, all at the same time. i was just trying to survive. poor thing. so many times i wish i could go back in time as the person i am now so i could tell her, like, you're going to be okay. ♪ don't call me your sweetheart ♪ >> reporter: despite the vicious attacks, rebecca has never given up on her career. she's now back in the studio working on her music. ♪ don't call me a sweetheart ♪ actually >> reporter: she gave "nightline" this preview of the upcoming remix of "sweetheart." what are your goals now. >> i'm going to keep writing music. i've never stopped. and it's been the one thing that has never let me down. i've shown myself time and time again that i have resilience, and i have strength, and it's

possible to grow and change and learn and how cool is that? ♪ >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm kaylee hartung in los angeles. up next, celebrating black history month and some natural hair love. in school and in film. i didn't have to shout out for help. because you didn't have another dvt. not today. one blood clot puts you at risk of having another, so we chose xarelto®, to help keep you protected. xarelto® is proven to treat and reduce the risk of dvt or pe blood clots from happening again. almost 98% of people did not have another dvt or pe. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of blood clots. while taking, a spinal injection increases the risk of blood clots, which may cause paralysis- the inability to move. you may bruise more easily or take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® can cause serious and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. get help right away for unexpected bleeding or unusual bruising.

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and finally tonight, some hair love this black history month. it was just days ago, an animated film "hair love", nabbed an oscar for its heartwarming story in celebration of natural locks, and the relationship between father and daughter. but for some, the celebration lasts all month, as teachers across the country deck their doors in honor of natural hair. stylish creations with an inspired cultural lesson woven in. happy black history month. also a reminder from us, abc news live is up and running, streaming everywhere, with braki breaking news, context and

analysis. that's "nightline," thanks for staying up with us, goodnight, america.

fisn't just about polar bears. we're fighting for our lives, we're fighting for clean air and clean water. that's why i wrote the law to send billions from polluters to communities suffering the most. and only one candidate for president was with us back then, tom steyer. and he's still fighting for us, pledging to make clean air and clean water a right for everyone, regardless of your zip code. that's the truth. that's tom steyer. i'm tom steyer and i approve this message.