NEW YORK — Guns N’ Roses lead singer Axl Rose is accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed by a former model.
The lawsuit was filed by former Penthouse model Sheila Kennedy in New York Supreme Court on Wednesday, The New York Times reported.
Kennedy claims that Rose, 61, sexually assaulted her in his New York hotel room in 1989 after meeting her at a nightclub, according to The Washington Post. Kennedy claimed that Rose dragged her by the hair, tied her up and then sexually assaulted her, the Times reported.
Kennedy is seeking an unspecified amount of compensatory damages for psychological and emotional distress, according to the Post.
“We expect that Sheila Kennedy’s decision to file this suit will be an important turning point for the music industry,” Ann Olivarius, an attorney who represents Kennedy, said in a statement, according to the newspaper. “Her account is unfortunately all too typical of a culture of violence and sexual misconduct that has been allowed to exist in plain sight for decades. … We hope Sheila’s bravery helps other victims find their voice.”
Rose’s attorney, Alan S. Gutman, released a statement, stating “Simply put, this incident never happened,” the Times reported.
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“Though he doesn’t deny the possibility of a fan photo taken in passing, Mr. Rose has no recollection of ever meeting or speaking to the Plaintiff, and has never heard about these fictional allegations prior to today.”
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According to Kennedy’s complaint, Rose invited the 1983 Penthouse Pet of the Year, who was 26 at the time of the alleged incident, to a party at the singer’s hotel suite, Rolling Stone reported.
In the complaint, Kennedy alleged that Rose offered her and another woman invited to the suite on Central Park West cocaine and alcohol, according to the Times.
The party was “in full swing” until Rose told everyone to leave except Kennedy, the other woman and a man, the complaint states.
Kennedy said that she went into another room when Rose allegedly had sex with the other woman. She stated in her suit that Rose then came into the room where she was, knocked her down, “grabbed her by the hair and dragged her across the suite back to his bedroom.”
Kennedy added that she was sexually assaulted by Rose, adding that she did not give consent.
“He treated her like property used solely for his sexual pleasure,” the complaint states. “Kennedy did not consent and felt overpowered. She felt she had no escape or exit and was compelled to acquiesce. She believed Rose would physically attack her, or worse, if she said no or attempted to push him away. She understood that the safest thing to do was to lie in bed and wait for Rose to finish assaulting her.”
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Kennedy’s lawsuit is the latest case against men brought under the Adult Survivors Act, the Times reported. The New York statute created a one-year window for people who claimed to be victims of sexual abuse to file civil suits after the statute of limitations had expired, according to the newspaper.
That window ends this week.
Such cases have been filed in recent weeks against Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler, music executive L.A. Reid, and Sean “Diddy” Combs, the Times reported.