Guns N' Roses Singer Axl Rose Joins List of Accused Sexual Offenders

The complaint states that the incident occurred when Rose “was at the peak of his commercial success,” and “used his fame, status, and power as a celebrity and performer in the music industry to gain access to manipulate, control, and violently sexually assault Kennedy.”

The Complaint

Sheila Kennedy stated that Rose knocked her to the floor, dragged her by the hair, restrained her hands and proceeded to sexually assault her “while he was in a sexual, volatile rage.” The complaint reads, “Kennedy did not consent and felt overpowered... She understood that the safest thing to do was to lie in bed and wait for Rose to finish assaulting her.”

Kennedy’s lawsuit was filed under the pretense of the New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which allows adult survivors of sexual abuse, whose statute of limitations has expired, to sue their abusers in the State till November 24.

Alan S. Gutman, the attorney for Axl Rose, shared a statement later on Wednesday to CNN, saying, "Simply put, this incident never happened... Mr. Rose has no recollection of ever meeting or speaking to the Plaintiff [Kennedy], and has never heard about these fictional allegations prior to today," adding that Rose is confident that the case will be in his favour.

Kennedy is an actor and a model who has appeared on the cover of the adult magazine Penthouse. In 1983, she was featured as Penthouse’s “Pet of the Year” model. She has previously outlined the allegations against Rose cited in Wednesday’s lawsuit in her 2016 memoir "No One’s Pet."

Other Offenders That Were Exposed Recently

Jamie Foxx

Media reports flooded in on November 23, about the accusations against actor Jamie Foxx. The Oscar-winner was accused by an anonymous woman, of sexually assaulting her by groping her in a restaurant in Manhattan back in 2015. While many witnesses, including a security guard, were present during this incident, the woman claimed that no one intervened.

In 2018 too, Foxx had been accused in the #metoo movement, when a woman said that he "slapped his penis" on her in 2002. Foxx had denied those allegations. 

Diddy

Singer Cassie came forward with her harrowing experience of being sexually assaulted by rapper Sean Combs, whose stage name is Diddy. Cassie, whose real name is Cassandra Ventura, filed a lawsuit against 54-year-old Combs alleging physical and sexual abuse during their decade-long relationship. 

Cassie was 19 when she started dating Combs in 2005. She claimed in her lawsuit that Combs began a pattern of plying her with drugs, physically assaulting her and forcing her to have sex with male prostitues while he recorded video footage. The lawsuit claims that towards the end of their relationship, in 2018, Combs forcefully entered Cassie’s home and raped her. 

Russell Brand 

British comedian and actor, Russell Brand has been accused of rape, assault, and emotional distress, by four different women this month. Brand has denied these allegations, stating that he was just "very very promiscuous," in his past. The accusations state his sexual misconduct from 2006 to 2013. 

One woman allegedly said that in 2006, during a three-month relationship when she was 16 and still in school, Brand sexually assaulted her. In 2007, another woman alleged that during a six-month relationship, Brand sexually assaulted her and subjected her to physical and emotional abuse. Another woman in July 2012, alleged that at Brand's Los Angeles residence, Brand raped her against a wall after she declined to engage in sexual activity with one of Brand's acquaintances. Finally, another woman claimed that in 2013, he sexually assaulted her at his Los Angeles home.

Singer Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Actors Bill Cosby, and Jonah Hill have also been some of the many celebrities who have been accused of sexual misconduct. 

Suggested Reading: What Billie Eilish Said About Her Struggle With Womanhood & Feminity?