Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses accused of 1989 sexual assault in lawsuit by former model

Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose is being sued for sexual assault stemming from an incident in 1989.

Former Penthouse model Sheila Kennedy filed a civil lawsuit against the rocker Wednesday with the New York County Supreme Court, alleging 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 Kennedy" at his hotel room in New York City after meeting at a nightclub party.

Rose's attorney Alan Gutman of Gutman Law denied the allegations in a statement to USA TODAY Wednesday.

"Simply put, this incident never happened. Notably, these fictional claims were filed the day before the New York State filing deadline expires," Guttman said in the statement. "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." 

Kennedy's attorney Ann Olivarius of the firm McAllister Olivarius told USA TODAY in a statement Wednesday that she expects her client's lawsuit to be "an important turning point for the music industry."

"Her 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," Olivarius said. "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. We hope Sheila's bravery helps other victims find their voice."

Axl Rose allegations explained

In the lawsuit, Kennedy details witnessing Rose (real name: W. Axl Rose, born as William Bruce Rose Jr.) allegedly mix prescription drugs, cocaine and alcohol while hosting people in his hotel suite. As the night progressed, the model alleged that the Gun N' Roses frontman began to have sex with another model "in a way that appeared painful."

Kennedy claims she left Rose's bedroom to go to another room in the hotel suite, which led the singer to become "furious" and knock her to the floor.

The former Penthouse model claims Rose "dragged Kennedy to his bedroom like a caveman and acted with uncontrolled fury," restrained her and began "forcibly penetrating" her.

"Rose made no attempt to ask for or check that Kennedy was consenting. He treated her like property used solely for his sexual pleasure. He did not use a condom," the complaint states.

As a result of the alleged attack, Kennedy states that she has experienced "lifelong emotional, physical, psychological, and financial impacts" to her life and "experienced symptoms akin to post-traumatic stress disorder whenever she hears Rose's name or the music of Guns N' Roses."

She also says her career "suffered because of the assault" and she could no longer be in social settings that could possibly trigger her from the trauma.

The former model is requesting a jury trial to determine any compensatory damages if he is found liable for the sexual assault.

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What is the Adult Survivors Act?

Kennedy's lawsuit was filed under New York's expiring Adult Survivors Act, which has given victims of sexual abuse a one-year window for claims that would otherwise be barred by time limits. That window closes on Nov. 23, which is the Thanksgiving holiday.

Guns N' Roses management accused of sexual harassment

According to Rolling Stone and The Messenger, a Guns N' Roses' manager was also accused of sexual harassment in a recent lawsuit filed by photographer Katarina Benzova. Benzova also accused the band of copyright infringement, according to the outlets.

The outlets report Benzova's lawsuit comes several weeks after the band sued her for improperly registering photos of the band with the Copyright Office and making false copyright infringement allegations. USA TODAY has reached out to Benzova as well as the band for comment.

A Guns N' Roses statement to Rolling Stone said, "The band takes these types of claims very seriously, however, all evidence establishes these accusations are categorically and unequivocally false."

If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE & online.rainn.org). 

Contributing: Charles Trepany, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

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