Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose (Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP, File)
They concern, among others, the singer Axl Rose and the actor Jamie Foxx: They are related to a law whose prison sentences will soon expire
In recent days, several famous figures from the US film and music industry have been sued in civil lawsuits alleging sexual harassment or rape in New York state. Lawsuits were filed Wednesday against singer Axl Rose, actors Cuba Gooding Jr. and Jamie Foxx, and music producer Jimmy Iovine. In recent days or weeks, actor Bill Cosby, rapper Diddy (aka Puff Daddy), producer LA Reid and former president of the Recording Academy (the organization that awards the Grammys) Neil Portnow have been accused of sexual crimes.
The concentration of so many complaints, often relating to events that occurred several years ago, is linked to the impending expiration of the provisions of the Adult Survivor Act, a New York State law passed in May 2022. The law provided for a one-year window in which it was possible to file a lawsuit in civil courts for sexual offenses that would otherwise have expired, thus making it possible to file lawsuits even for very old crimes. The “Lookback” period began on November 24, 2022, after Thanksgiving, and therefore ends on Thursday at midnight.
According to New York state courts, more than 2,700 complaints have been filed so far: most of them are against public institutions, government agencies, churches and schools. Specifically, over 1,800 cases involve women reporting abuse while in federal or state prisons. The extent of these complaints, said prosecutor Jonathan Schulman, “demonstrates the extent and systematic nature of the abuses committed by institutions that are supposed to provide security and provide rehabilitation.”
However, some of the complaints filed under the Adult Survivor Act (ASA) involve famous people. One of them led to the trial in which former US President Donald Trump was ordered to pay journalist E. Jean Carroll $5 million for sexual abuse.
One of the most recent cases concerns the singer of the rock group Guns N’ Roses Axl Rose: the former model Sheila Kennedy reported him for rape and assault in connection with events in a New York hotel in 1989. Kennedy, who was 26 at the time, had already recounted the episode in a 2016 autobiography and in the 2021 documentary “Look Away,” which denounces this and other alleged abuses related to the world of the music industry. After that event, Kennedy says he suffered “long-term emotional, physical and psychological consequences with financial implications.” Specifically, in the complaint, he reports post-traumatic stress symptoms every time he hears a Guns N’ Roses song.
The lawsuit against actor Cuba Gooding Jr. relates to a 2019 criminal case in which he was accused of kissing and groping three women against their will: the actor pleaded guilty to harassment and was not sentenced to prison . Today two of those women sued him for damages.
Cuba Gooding Jr. during his trial in 2022 (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Instead, Jamie Foxx was accused of sexual abuse and harassment by a woman, whose identity was not revealed, who allegedly groped him at the Catch restaurant in New York: the location was cited for “lack of control.”
The ASA was based on a previous 2019 New York State law, the Child Victims Act, which opened the possibility of reporting abuse of minors for two years, for which the normal deadlines had expired: 11,000 reports were received, but the law has been criticized for not giving adults the same opportunity.
According to lawyers defending some of the defendants, the ASA would have led to an excessive number of frivolous lawsuits. Liz Roberts, head of legal aid group for domestic violence victims Safe Horizon, instead defined the law as “a major victory for survivors whose courage and commitment has become a path to recovery, justice and reparation for thousands of people.”
Victims’ lawyers also argue that the success of lawsuits against other celebrities has persuaded many women who feared they would not be heard to file complaints. The most cited case is that of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who was convicted in various criminal trials in Los Angeles courts. Last month, English actress Julia Ormond sued not only Weinstein in New York civil court, but also the companies Disney, Creative Artist and Miramax, of which he was a director.
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