A number of sexual harassment lawsuits have been filed against high-profile celebrities ahead of a deadline for a New York law “that suspended time constraints on claims involving allegations of sexual misconduct for one year,” according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR).
Axl Rose, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jamie Foxx, Bill Cosby, and Jimmy Iovine represent just some of the top celebrities whose names have been implicated in the wave of allegations and lawsuits.
Cosby, for instance, has once again been sued by another woman alleging he drugged and sexually assaulted her in the 1980s.
In her suit, former model Sheila Kennedy accuses Rose of raping her in 1989 in a violent encounter with the Guns N’ Roses frontman. After he trapped her in his hotel room, Rose “forcibly penetrat[ed] Kennedy’s anus with his penis,” making “no attempt to ask for or check that Kennedy was consenting,” according to the complaint.
The complaint against Gooding Jr. stems from charges the actor faced in 2019 over groping or forcibly kissing three women that ended with him pleading guilty to a single count of harassment but serving no jail time. Two of the accusers are now taking him to court. Jasmine Abbay claims Gooding Jr. forcibly kissed her, while Kelsey Harbert alleges that he groped her breast. They seek damages for emotional distress and lost wages, among other things.
Foxx, meanwhile, was accused of groping in 2015 a woman, who alleged he cornered her at Catch in New York City before proceeding to “slide his hands into Plaintiff’s pants and put his fingers on and in Plaintiff’s vagina and anus.” The anonymous accuser claims assault and battery, among other claims against Catch for negligent supervision and Foxx, whose real name is Eric Marlon Bishop.
Such lawsuits would typically be constrained by the statute of limitations in New York, but those were extended by New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which will be closing at midnight on Thursday.
Already this month, lawsuits have been filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs, music mogul L.A. Reid and ex-Grammys CEO Neil Portnow.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
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