Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose is one of several high-profile names from the world of entertainment who are being sued for sexual assault.
Rose, along with the likes of Jamie Foxx, Cuba Gooding Jr. and music mogul Jimmy Iovine have been hit with lawsuits just before New York’s Adult Survivors Act expired at midnight last night. The Act allows survivors of sexual abuse to bring civil charges against perpetrators, despite the statute of limitations.
It means that a woman who has accused Rose of sexually assaulting her in 1989 can bring a civil case against the rock star. Sheila Kennedy, a former model for Penthouse magazine, had previously spoken about the alleged assault - which she says occurred in a New York hotel in 1989 - in both her memoir and a documentary about sexual misconduct in the music industry, titled 'Look Away'.
Details of the lawsuit make for graphic and disturbing reading, with Kennedy accusing Rose of dragging her across a hotel suite by the hair before tying her up and assaulting her.
A slew of other lawsuits have been filed in recent weeks ahead of the Act's expiration at midnight - including a case brought against rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs by his former partner (which was settled earlier this week) and against former Grammys CEO Neil Portnow.
The case against Gooding Jr., meanwhile, relates to charges he faced in 2019 for forcibly groping and kissing three women. He pleaded guilty to harrasment but served no jail time - and now two of the women are suing him for damages, alleging emotional distress and loss of wages.
The case against Foxx relates to a woman who alleges he groped her at a New York nightclub in 2015.
None of the accused have responded to the claim.
