Axl Rose and Jamie Foxx accused of sexual assault as window for historical lawsuits closes
Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose and actor Jamie Foxx have been accused of sexual assault as a law which allows historical lawsuits is set to expire.
A former Penthouse magazine model sued Rose, accusing him of sexually assaulting her in a New York City hotel room in 1989.
Sheila Kennedy, 61, filed the lawsuit in the State Supreme Court in Manhattan under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which lets victims sue over attacks that happened decades ago. The law expires after Thanksgiving on Thursday.
Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose
More than 2,500 lawsuits have been filed so far under the act.
Many of the lawsuits have targeted individuals, employers or institutions, accusing them of not doing enough to stop abuse.
But the vast majority have been filed against the state, New York City and local counties and involve allegations of abuse at state prisons and local jails.
Ms Kennedy alleged Rose violently attacked her 34 years ago, which resulted in a diagnosis of “anxiety and depression”.
She said Rose used his “fame, status, and power” as a music star to “gain access to manipulate, control, and violently sexually assault” her, the lawsuit claims.
Attorney Alan S Gutman said in a statement on behalf of Rose: “Simply put, this incident never happened. Notably, these fictional claims were filed the day before the New York state filing deadline expires.
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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. Mr Rose is confident this case will be resolved in his favour.”
Hollywood star accused of 2015 assault
Jamie Foxx was also sued under the act on Wednesday by a woman who accused the Hollywood star of sexual assaulting her at a New York rooftop lounge in 2015.
The lawsuit alleges Foxx made comments such as “wow, you have that super model body” while at Catch NYC and rooftop, before later grabbing the woman by the arm and pulling her to the “secluded” back of the rooftop.
Jamie Foxx in 2020
She alleged there was “heinous touching and sexual assault” which has resulted in “severe emotional distress and anxiety” as well as post-traumatic stress disorder.
The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in court documents, is also suing Catch NYC and its owner Mark Birnbaum, alleging they were “negligent” and “failed to use reasonable care to prevent the acts described” in the lawsuit.
A spokesperson for Foxx has been approached for comment.
The allegations against Rose and Foxx are the latest in a string of lawsuits filed under New York’s expiring Adult Survivors Act.
On Tuesday, American writer and filmmaker A.M. Lukas accused White Lines actor Nuno Lopes of drugging and raping her in 2006.
Actor Nuno Lopes. Pic: AP
Lopes denied any wrongdoing and said he would not be afraid to take legal action against anyone who tried to defame him.
Several lawsuits filed before law expires
Also on Tuesday a woman accused Bill Cosby of drugging and sexually abusing her after offering to mentor her in her acting career – joining more than 60 women who have accused him of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment.
He has denied all allegations involving sex crimes.
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A spokesperson for Cosby, 86, declined to comment but suggested the historical windows in place for these lawsuits in New York and elsewhere should be closed because they were being used to target wealthy celebrities, asking: “When is it going to stop?”
Photographer Terry Richardson, who was effectively blacklisted by the fashion world in 2017 after multiple rape and sexual assault allegations, had a new lawsuit filed against him on Tuesday by Spanish model Minerva Portillo.
Terry Richardson. Pic: AP
Meanwhile music industry veteran Jimmy Iovine was sued by a woman who claims she was sexually abused, forcibly touched and subject to sexual harassment and retaliation in August 2017.
Record producer Jimmy Iovine
A spokesperson for Iovine said they were “quite shocked and baffled” by the alleged claim, adding: “This inquiry is the first we’ve heard of this matter. No one has ever made a claim like this against Jimmy Iovine, nor have we been contacted or made aware of any complaint by anyone, including this unknown plaintiff prior to now.”
Oscar-winning actor sued by two women
Also on Wednesday Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr was sued by two women whose sexual assault accusations against the star formed the basis of a criminal prosecution that ended with him pleading guilty in April 2022 but serving no jail time.
Actor Cuba Gooding Jr in court after he pleaded guilty
Lawyers who have represented Gooding in civil and criminal litigation over his alleged sexual misconduct did not respond to requests for comment.
Others who have been sued under the law include Russell Brand, former movie producer Harvey Weinstein, former US president Donald Trump and hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs – whose case was settled after one day.
Donald Trump has said he is considering “taking away” the US citizenship of actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell, despite a Supreme Court ruling that expressly prohibits a government from doing so.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, the US president said: “Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship.”
He also labelled O’Donnell, who has moved to Ireland, as a “threat to humanity” and said she should “remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her”.
O’Donnell responded on Instagram by posting a photograph of Mr Trump with Jeffrey Epstein.
“You are everything that is wrong with America and I’m everything you hate about what’s still right with it,” she wrote in the caption.
“I’m not yours to silence. I never was.”
Rosie O’Donnell moved to Ireland after Donald Trump secured a second term. Pic: AP
O’Donnell moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old son in January after Mr Trump had secured a second term.
She has said she’s in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship based on family lineage and that she would only return to the US “when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America”.
O’Donnell and the US president have criticised each other publicly for years, in an often-bitter back-and-forth that predates Mr Trump’s move into politics.
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This is just the latest threat by the president to revoke the citizenship of someone he has disagreed with, most recently his former ally Elon Musk.
But the two situations are different as while Musk was born in South Africa, O’Donnell was born in the US and has a constitutional right to American citizenship.
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Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, said the Supreme Court ruled in a 1967 case that the fourteenth amendment of the constitution prevents the government from taking away citizenship.
“The president has no authority to take away the citizenship of a native-born US citizen,” he added.
“In short, we are nation founded on the principle that the people choose the government; the government cannot choose the people.”
A farmer who fell from a greenhouse roof during an anti-immigrant raid at a licensed cannabis facility in California this week has died of his injuries.
Jaime Alanis, 57, is the first person to die as a result of Donald Trump’s Immigration Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) raids.
His niece, Yesenia Duran, posted on the fundraising site GoFundMe to say her uncle was his family’s only provider and he had been sending his earnings back to his wife and daughter in Mexico.
The United Food Workers said Mr Alanis had worked on the farm for 10 years.
“These violent and cruel federal actions terrorise American communities, disrupt the American food supply chain, threaten lives and separate families,” the union said in a recent statement on X.
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it executed criminal search warrants at Glass House Farms facilities on Thursday.
Mr Alanis called family to say he was hiding and possibly fleeing agents before he fell around 30ft (9m) from the roof and broke his neck, according to information from family, hospital and government sources.
Agents arrested 200 people suspected of being in the country illegally and identified at least 10 immigrant children on the sites, the DHS said in a statement.
Mr Alanis was not among them, the agency said.
“This man was not in and has not been in CBP (Customs and Border Protection) or ICE custody,” DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin said.
“Although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a greenhouse and fell 30ft. CBP immediately called a medivac to the scene to get him care as quickly as possible.”
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Four US citizens were arrested during the incident for allegedly “assaulting or resisting officers”, the DHS said, and authorities were offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a person suspected of firing a gun at federal agents.
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In a statement, Glass House, a licensed Cannabis grower, said immigration agents had valid warrants. It said workers were detained and it is helping provide them with legal representation.
“Glass House has never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors,” it added.
Donald Trump has said he is considering “taking away” the US citizenship of actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell, despite a Supreme Court ruling that expressly prohibits a government from doing so.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, the US president said: “Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship.”
He also labelled O’Donnell, who has moved to Ireland, as a “threat to humanity” and said she should “remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her”.
O’Donnell responded on Instagram by posting a photograph of Mr Trump with Jeffrey Epstein.
“You are everything that is wrong with America and I’m everything you hate about what’s still right with it,” she wrote in the caption.
“I’m not yours to silence. I never was.”
Rosie O’Donnell moved to Ireland after Donald Trump secured a second term. Pic: AP
O’Donnell moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old son in January after Mr Trump had secured a second term.
She has said she’s in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship based on family lineage and that she would only return to the US “when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America”.
O’Donnell and the US president have criticised each other publicly for years, in an often-bitter back-and-forth that predates Mr Trump’s move into politics.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Will Trump address parliament on UK state visit?
This is just the latest threat by the president to revoke the citizenship of someone he has disagreed with, most recently his former ally Elon Musk.
But the two situations are different as while Musk was born in South Africa, O’Donnell was born in the US and has a constitutional right to American citizenship.
Read more from Sky News:
Kate’s ’emotional’ words for tearful tennis star
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Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, said the Supreme Court ruled in a 1967 case that the fourteenth amendment of the constitution prevents the government from taking away citizenship.
“The president has no authority to take away the citizenship of a native-born US citizen,” he added.
“In short, we are nation founded on the principle that the people choose the government; the government cannot choose the people.”
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