A new lawsuit accuses Guns ‘N Roses singer Axl Rose of sexual assault and battery over an alleged attack in a Manhattan hotel suite in 1989.
Sheila Kennedy‘s suit claims she “suffered severe emotional, physical, financial and psychological distress” when Rose (real name William Bailey) “used his fame, status, and power as a celebrity and performer in the music industry to gain access to manipulate, control, and violently sexually assault” her.
The case was filed under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which provides a one-year window for sexual assault plaintiffs to file civil claims, regardless of the statute of limitations. That window closes on Thursday.
In the 10-page complaint filed Wednesday in New York Supreme Court (read it here), the plaintiff — an actress and model who was the 1983 Penthouse Pet of the Year — says she met Rose Kennedy in early February 1989 at a New York nightclub. Kennedy had been invited to the club by a friend who was a fan of Guns N’ Roses and who told Kennedy that Rose would be there. When Kennedy approached Rose’s table, the suit alleges, “she immediately felt his eyes and attention turn to her.”
The singer asked Kennedy if she would like to go back to his Central Park West hotel for a party with him and Riki Rachtman, then the host of MTV’s Headbangers Ball, at Rose’s luxury suite. Other acquaintances of Rose and Rachtman arrived for the party, and, the complaint alleges, “Rose provided cocaine, champagne, and alcohol to his guests.”
Kennedy soon found herself in Rose’s bedroom in bed with Rose, Rachtman, and another model. “Rose began kissing and having sex with the other model, Kennedy quickly became uncomfortable,” her suit says. “Rose was aggressive in a way that appeared painful for the model.”
Kennedy and Rachtman then left Rose’s bedroom and went to Rachtman’s room. “Suddenly,” according to the suit, “Kennedy heard objects being thrown and the sound of glass shattering. She also heard Rose screaming at the model. … In response to the commotion, Rachtman warned Kennedy: ‘It’s going to get bad.’”
The suit goes on to allege that Rose “grabbed Kennedy by her robe and knocked her to the floor” then “grabbed her by the hair and dragged her across the suite back to his bedroom.” She also says Rose tied her hands behind her back with pantyhose “while he was in a sexual, volatile rage.”
Rose then “sexually assaulted Kennedy,” the suit says, “forcibly penetrating Kennedy’s anus with his penis.”
“Kennedy did not consent and felt overpowered,” her suit says. “She understood that the safest thing to do was to lie in bed and wait for Rose to finish assaulting her.”
The lawsuit also alleges battery and seeks unspecified damages and a jury trial.
Rose and Guns ‘N Roses’ gained worldwide fame with their blockbuster 1987 debut album Appetite for Destruction, which features such rock classics as “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City” and the No. 1 pop single “Sweet Child o’ Mine.” The disc has sold more than 18 million units in the U.S. alone, tied for the 14-biggest-selling album stateside. Later that year, Guns ‘N Roses would open four sold-out shows for the Rolling Stones as the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
At the time of the alleged 1989 incident, the band was on the charts with its second LP, G N’ R Lies.
