Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose accused of sexual assault

New York, New York - Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 1989, according to a court filing revealed on Wednesday.

Axl Rose, lead singer of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, performs on June 17, 2023.
Axl Rose, lead singer of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, performs on June 17, 2023.  © Helle Arensbak / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP

Sheila Kennedy, an actor and model, alleges that Rose, now 61, "sexually assaulted her" and that she "did not consent and felt overpowered."

Kennedy's lawyers say in the complaint that "this action is timely pursuant to the NY Adult Survivors Act," a New York law allowing alleged victims of sexual abuse to file civil suits past the statute of limitations.

The law expires at midnight on Thursday.

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Rose, the lead singer of the heavy rock band famous for albums like Appetite for Destruction, has yet to comment publicly.

He attended the Las Vegas Formula One Grand Prix over the weekend, ahead of the complaint being lodged with a New York court.

The incident is alleged to have happened in a New York hotel room after the pair met in a nightclub.

The civil case was submitted on Wednesday and calls for Rose, whose real name is William Bruce Rose, to face a jury trial and for the jury to award Kennedy "punitive damages."

"Rose used his fame, status, and power as a celebrity and performer in the music industry to gain access to manipulate, control and violently assault Kennedy," the complaint claims.

Shocking details emerge from rape accusations against Axl Rose

The suit follows a rape complaint against rapper Sean Combs under the Adult Survivors Act filed last week by R&B singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura. A day after the lawsuit was filed, the parties said they had agreed to resolve the case but did not disclose the settlement terms.

In the complaint, Rose is alleged to have forced anal sex on Kennedy. Kennedy's lawyers say she "believed Rose would physically attack her or worse if she said no or attempted to push him away."

"She understood that the safest thing to do was to lie in bed and wait for Rose to finish assaulting her," it reads. "[It] had lifelong emotional, physical, psychological, and financial impacts on Kennedy's life."

Guns 'N Roses, whose brash rock took the world by storm in the late 1980s, had been notorious for internal friction, with singer Axl Rose and guitarist Slash ending their collaboration in 1993 following a show in Buenos Aires.

Cover photo: Helle Arensbak / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP

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