Axl Rose (61), singer of the rock band Guns N’ Roses, is said to have raped a woman in 1989. This emerges from a lawsuit that has now been filed in the US state of New York and which is available, among other things, to the industry portal “Billboard”.
The lawsuit filed by former “Penthouse” model Sheila Kennedy (61) states that the singer is said to have exploited “his fame, his status and his power” to gain access to Kennedy, to manipulate her “to control them and to sexually coerce them by force”.
Kennedy met Rose in a nightclub in New York around February 1989. The singer asked the model if she wanted to come to his hotel for a party. In fact, many people celebrated in the suite at first, until Rose later arranged for everyone to leave except for him, Kennedy, another model and another man.
Rose then allegedly had aggressive sexual intercourse with the other woman in the bedroom in the presence of Kennedy and the man, which the documents describe as “disturbing.” Kennedy left the room.
A short time later, an apparently angry Rose threw her to the floor, grabbed her by the hair and dragged her into his bedroom “like a caveman”, which resulted in injuries to Kennedy’s knees. The singer then threw her onto the bed, tied her hands and a violent sexual assault ensued in which he allegedly penetrated her.
The alleged assault had an “emotional, physical, psychological and financial impact on Kennedy’s life,” the lawsuit says. This also had a negative impact on her career. When she hears Rose’s name or the music of Guns N’ Roses, she has symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder.
The plaintiff’s lawyers do not provide an exact amount of damages. However, according to the lawsuit, she is entitled to damages in an amount that a jury deems appropriate and fair. Rose’s lawyer, meanwhile, denies the allegations and speaks of “fabricated allegations.”
“Simply put: This incident never happened,” lawyer Alan Gutman told the US celebrity portal “TMZ”. Rose does not deny that the singer may have taken a fan photo with Kennedy in passing at some point, but he “cannot remember ever meeting or speaking to the plaintiff.” The singer had never heard of the “fabricated accusations” before today. And further: “Mr. Rose is confident that this case will be decided in his favor.”
