NEW YORK, Nov 23 — US actor Jamie Foxx and Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose were each accused of sexual assault yesterday, part of a flurry of suits filed in New York before a statute of limitations deadline.
In the filing against Rose, Sheila Kennedy, an actress and model, alleges that he “sexually assaulted her” in 1989 and that she “did not consent and felt overpowered”.
The alleged victim in the Foxx case, identified only as Jane Doe, said that Foxx “intentionally and without consent used force to offensively touch” her, by groping her breasts and genitals at a rooftop bar in Manhattan in 2015.
Both filings note that they are being submitted pursuant to the New York Adult Survivors Act, a law that had opened the door for sexual assault suits on cases that otherwise happened to far in the past to litigate.
The 61-year-old lead singer of the heavy rock band famous for albums like Appetite for Destruction, has yet to comment publicly.
He had attended the Las Vegas Formula One Grand Prix over the weekend, ahead of the complaint being lodged with a New York court.
The incident is alleged to have happened in a New York hotel room after the pair met in a nightclub.
The civil case calls for Rose, whose real name is William Bruce Rose, to face a jury trial, and for the jury to award Kennedy “punitive damages”.
In the complaint, Rose is alleged to have forced anal sex on Kennedy. Kennedy’s lawyers say she “believed Rose would physically attack her, or worse, if she said no or attempted to push him away”.
”Rose used his fame, status, and power as a celebrity and performer in the music industry to gain access to manipulate, control and violently assault Kennedy,” the complaint claims.
Guns N’ Roses is best known for hits such as Welcome to the Jungle and Sweet Child O’ Mine.
‘Permanently’ affected
In the Foxx case, his accuser says the Oscar-winning actor, now age 55, grabbed her by the “arm and pulled her to the back area of the rooftop” after meeting her at the bar.
Once there, he allegedly proceeded to grope the plaintiff until a friend came looking for her.
She also calls for Foxx, whose real name is Eric Marlon Bishop, to face a jury trial that could award punitive damages.
The suit says the plaintiff “will permanently be affected by the injuries and emotional distress she incurred as a result of the sexual assault, abuse, assault and battery.”
Foxx, who in addition to acting is a comedian and Grammy-winning singer, won an Academy Award in 2005 for the Ray Charles musical biopic Ray. He was nominated for an Oscar for Collateral that same year.
Wednesday’s suits follow a rape complaint against rapper Sean Combs under the Adult Survivors Act, filed last week by R&B singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura.
A day after the lawsuit was filed, the parties said they had agreed to resolve the case, but did not disclose the settlement terms. — AFP
