NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) – Several sexual abuse lawsuits were filed in New York this past week to beat the end of NY’s state law that temporarily froze the limitations on civil abuse and harassment claims – no matter the age.
Among the accused are New York Mayor Eric Adams, music industry mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine, Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose, actor Jamie Foxx, Andrew Cuomo (former NY governor) and fashion photographer Terry Richardson.
NY lawmakers passed the law titled The Adult Survivors Act during the chaos of the ‘Me Too’ movement. It gives alleged victims of sexual assault a one-year window to file lawsuits against their perpetrators even if the incident happened earlier than the statute of limitations legally allows for such complaints.
The law passed on November 24, 2022, and expired on Thursday, November 23, 2023.
Let’s take a look at what we know.
Terry Richardson: (Suit filed Tuesday, November 21)
Lawsuit 1: Spanish model Minerva Portillo, who lives and works in Spain, filed suit alleging Richardson assaulted her during a photo shoot and then exhibited, published and sold photos from the incident without her consent.
Lawsuit 2: South African model Caron Bernstein filed suit alleging Richardson forced her into oral sex at his studio in 2003. According to the complaint obtained by The New York Times, Richardson then took photos of the alleged assault and put them in his exhibition “Terryworld” and his book Kibosh, and she did not sign a release form.
In 2005, two lawsuits were filed against Richardson in California with allegations regarding image permissions. The plaintiffs said they had not signed standard releases and were surprised to see their seminude photographs published – both lawsuits were settled.
These allegations come as no surprise, as Richardson had a plethora of accusations against him of inappropriate behavior and coercion back in 2017. Several well-known fashion businesses began distancing themselves from the photographer, including Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and GQ.
Jimmy Iovine, Axl Rose, Jamie Foxx, Mayor Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo: (Suit filed Wednesday (November 22)
Jimmy Iovine: Interscope Records co-founder, producer and one of the most high-profile moguls in the music industry is being sued by Jane Doe for sexual abuse, forcible touching, sexual harassment and retaliation, according to Billboard.com.
In Iovine’s case, the actual lawsuit is not available yet, but the music industry veteran was served a summons before the lawsuit was filed. The NY court document claims the complainant “suffered as a result of being sexually abused, forcibly touched and subjected to sexual harassment and retaliation.” The anonymous woman is seeking compensation via damages. Iovine has 20 days to respond to the summons or 30 if the summons isn’t hand-delivered to his person.
Iovine’s representative released a statement to Variety: “We are quite shocked and baffled by this alleged claim. 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, before now.”
Axl Rose: Rose, the rock icon who leads the band Guns N’ Roses, has been accused of violent sexual assault dating back to 1989 by former Penthouse model Sheila Kennedy. The summons and complaint were filed in NY, and the Plaintiff requested a jury trial.
She alleges Rose physically assaulted and forcibly penetrated her. According to the lawsuit, Rose met Kennedy at a nightclub and invited her and another model, named Brooke, according to Kennedy’s autobiography, No One’s Pet, to his hotel room for a party. Kennedy said she initially consented to Rose’s advances but changed her mind when he became “aggressive during sex with the other model” and when he wanted “group sex.”
When Kennedy went to Rose’s friend’s hotel room, which, according to her autobiography is the drummer of the rock band Poison, Rikki Rachtman, Rose “grabbed her by the hair and dragged her across the suite back to his bedroom,” causing her knees to bleed.
As a result of the alleged incident, Kennedy now suffers anxiety and depression and has difficulty with physical and emotional intimacy, avoiding social events where she might hear Rose’s music, the lawsuit states. She is seeking damages for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and gender-motivated violence.
Rose did respond to the allegations after Pitchfork reached out for comment. Rose’s lawyer, Alan S. Gutman, stated:
“Simply put, this incident never happened. Notably, these fictional claims were filed the day before the New York State filing deadline expires.
“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. He had never heard about these fictional allegations before today. Mr. Rose is confident this case will be resolved in his favor.”
Jamie Foxx: Actor and singer Foxx was sued for alleged sexual assault at a rooftop bar in NY in 2015. According to the case, the woman in the lawsuit, Jane Doe, and her friend were seated at a table next to Foxx and Mark Birnbaum, the owner of the bar. At 1 am, Jane Doe and her friend asked Foxx for a photo.
Foxx agreed, and they took photos. She alleges that he led her to a more secluded part of the rooftop, where he groped her breasts underneath her top. The suit states that she was caught off guard and tried to get away, but that Foxx stuck his hands down her pants and “put his fingers on and in Plaintiff’s vagina and anus.”
The suit alleges that a security guard witnessed the incident but did not intervene. The woman’s friend then found her, and Foxx stopped touching her and walked away.
“The alleged incident never happened,” a spokesperson for Foxx said in a statement. “In 2020, this individual filed a nearly identical lawsuit in Brooklyn. That case was dismissed shortly after that. The claims are no more viable today than they were then. We are confident they will be dismissed again. And once they are, Mr. Foxx intends to pursue a claim for malicious prosecution against this person and her attorneys for re-filing this frivolous action.”
NY Mayor Eric Adams: A $5 million lawsuit was filed by a woman who says she was assaulted by Adams when they were both working for the City of New York in 1993.
The summons doesn’t give much information, obtained by NDTV.com – but states that the Plaintiff alleges “sexual assault, battery and employment discrimination.”
Adams has denied the allegations, saying through a representative: “The mayor does not know who this person is. If they ever met, he doesn’t recall it,” according to a spokesperson for Adams. “But he would never do anything to harm another person physically and vigorously denies any such claim.”
Andrew Cuomo (former NY governor): Cuomo’s former assistant, Brittany Commisso, has filed suit accusing the former governor of groping her breast and buttocks. She claims that she has suffered “substantial personal injuries and economic loss.”
Commisso went public with her allegations more than two years ago in an interview with CBS News and the Albany Times Union. Cuomo has strenuously denied her allegations and similar claims made by other women.
“Ms. Commisso’s claims are provably false, which is why the Albany District Attorney dismissed the case two years ago after a thorough investigation,” a spokeswoman for Cuomo said in a statement. “Ms. Commisso’s transparent attempt at a cash grab will fail.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs: (Suit filed Thursday (Thanksgiving Day)
Lawsuit 1: Diddy has had a suit filed against him alleging Combs drugged and raped a Syracuse University student during a date in 1991. Joi Dickerson-Neal claims she has suffered “substantial and lifetime injuries” from the assault, which she claims was videotaped by Combs and shown to other people.
Neal said the “sexual assault and public exposure of it” has caused her feelings of embarrassment, violation, humiliation and constant apprehension about who all viewed it, according to the complaint – obtained by NDTV.com.
Lawsuit 2: Another woman has come out against Diddy and was filed the same day as Neal’s by Jane Doe. The court docket says the complaint was “returned for correction” and isn’t yet available. The new complaints were filed a week after Diddy settled the case containing similar claims by ex-girlfriend and former Bad Boy recording artist Cassie.
A spokesperson for Combs denied the allegations, describing the Dickerson-Neal suit as “an example of how a well-intentioned law can be turned on its head.”
The “32-year-old story is made up and not credible,” the spokesperson said. “Mr. Combs never assaulted her, and she implicates companies that did not exist.”
Similarly, the Jane Doe allegations are “fabricated claims falsely alleging misconduct from over 30 years ago and filed at the last minute,” the spokesperson said.
These aren’t the first in the industry to be hit with claims of sexual assault. Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, former Grammys CEO Neal Portnow, and producer L.A. Reid are also among those who have recently had sexual misconduct lawsuits filed against them.
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