Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose accused of alleged 1989 sexual assault by former model

Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose accused of alleged 1989 sexual assault by former model

Former model Sheila Kennedy is seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial.

ByJill Lances, Carson Blackwelder, and Angeline Jane Bernabe

November 22, 2023, 6:44 PM

Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose is being sued by a former model who claims he sexually assaulted her in 1989, according to court documents obtained by ABC News.

Sheila Kennedy, a former Penthouse model and actress, filed a lawsuit in New York Supreme Court on Wednesday, accusing the musician, whose real name is William Bruce Rose Jr., of sexually assaulting her in his hotel room after meeting him at a New York nightclub.

Kennedy claims in court documents that Rose “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.

According to the suit, Rose allegedly “made no attempt to ask for or check that Kennedy was consenting” and “treated her like property used solely for his sexual pleasure.” The suit adds that Kennedy “felt she had no escape or exit and was compelled to acquiesce.”

The lawsuit claims that as a result of the alleged assault, Kennedy “suffered severe emotional, physical, financial and psychological distress” as well as “issues with physical and emotional intimacy.” She is seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial.

Singer Axl Rose performs on stage during the Guns n’ Roses ‘Not In This Lifetime’ tour at the MCG on Feb. 14, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia.Paul Rovere/Getty Images, FILE

Dr. Ann Olivarius, chair of the executive committee of the firm McAllister Olivarius, which is representing Kennedy, said in a statement that Kennedy's decision to file the lawsuit would be “an important turning point for the music industry” and that Kennedy's account is “unfortunately all too typical of a culture of violence and sexual misconduct that has been allowed to exist in plain sight for decades.”

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“It's not just individual musicians stepping out of line, but an industrial system of enabling them and then covering up their misconduct and crimes, silencing survivors and normalizing sexual assault,” Olivarius added. “We hope Sheila's bravery helps other victims find their voice.”

Kennedy filed her lawsuit under the New York's Adult Survivors Act. This legislation instituted a one-year period during which adults who claim to be survivors of sexual offenses could sue their alleged abusers in the state, even if the statute of limitations on their claims had lapsed. The filing period began Nov. 24, 2022, and is set to expire on Friday this week.

Kennedy has opened up about the alleged incident with Rose in the past. She recounted her claims in “Look Away,” a 2021 British documentary about sexual abuse in the rock industry.

Rose has not faced criminal charges in connection with the alleged 1989 incident.

In a statement obtained by ABC News on Wednesday, an attorney for Rose called Kennedy's claims “fictional.”

“Simply put, this incident never happened. Notably, these fictional claims were filed the day before the New York State filing deadline expires,” attorney Alan S. Gutman of Gutman Law said. “Though he doesn’t deny the possibility of a fan photo taken in passing, Mr. Rose has no recollection of ever meeting or speaking to the Plaintiff, and has never heard about these fictional allegations prior to today. Mr. Rose is confident this case will be resolved in his favor.”