The leader of the legendary rock group Guns N’ Roses, Axl Rose, the American William Bruce Rose, his real name, is accused of sexual assault by an American model, Sheila Kennedy, in 1989, according to a court document from New York.
According to this civil lawsuit dated November 22, consulted by AFP and revealed by Rolling Stone magazine, Mr. Rose, born in 1962, would be responsible for “sexual assault” and “violence” against Ms. Kennedy, a model and actress in the 1980s.
The “sexual assault” against Sheila Kennedy allegedly occurred in a New York hotel room in 1989 after a nightclub meeting.
Ms. Kennedy, also born in 1962, posed and was one of the stars of the American erotic magazine Penthouse in 1983, and is also an actress.
“Rose targeted Kennedy in 1989, when he was at the height of his commercial success,” with the legendary hard rock group Guns N’ Roses, underpins the lawsuit being filed by the New York justice system.
“Rose used her fame, status and power as a celebrity and artist in the music industry to manipulate, control and sexually and violently assault Kennedy,” says the statement of claim filed in New York State Supreme Court by the City of New York, a court.
“As a result of Rose’s sexual assault, Kennedy suffered emotional, physical, financial and psychological distress,” the document continued.
The events took place in a hotel room following a meeting and initial consensual discussions which, according to the complainant, turned sour.
Founded in 1984, Guns N’ Roses is one of the most popular bands in rock history and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Its founding members include Axl Rose, Saul “Slash” Hudson and Michael “Duff” McKagan.
On Friday evening, American hip-hop star Sean Combs, Puff Daddy on stage and his ex-partner Casandra Ventura aka Cassie agreed to an “amicable” settlement the day after a civil lawsuit against him for rape and violence between 2005 and 2018.
These civil lawsuits are made possible by a New York State law that has allowed victims of sexual violence to file civil lawsuits for prescribed criminal or tortious acts since November 2022, but only for one year.