The law is set to expire on Friday, prompting a flurry of last-minute complaints and summonses from survivors seeking redress for the abuse they say they suffered as adults. On Wednesday alone, Rose and actors Gooding and Foxx were hit with lawsuits filed under the law. And in a last-minute filing Thursday, Combs was accused of another sexual assault. (R&B singer Cassie sued him earlier this month, but the two settled the case out of court the next day.)
Rose is accused of sexual assault by former Penthouse model Sheila Kennedy, who claims Rose attacked and raped her in a New York hotel room in 1989.
Meanwhile, two women have filed separate lawsuits against Gooding for alleged sexual assault and assault, one in 2018 and the other in 2019. The 2019 case includes a molestation case to which Gooding pleaded guilty last year. (According to the complaint, the actor described it at the hearing as “nonconsensual physical contact.”)
In June, Gooding settled another Adult Survivors Act case with a woman who accused him of rape in 2013.
Foxx, whose real name is Eric Marlon Bishop, was also accused of sexual assault following an incident at a New York bar in 2015. The complaint, filed on behalf of “Jane Doe,” alleges that Foxx sexually assaulted her. He entered a secluded area of the facility and began fondling her without her consent, but a security guard near her who witnessed the encounter left.
“The alleged incident never occurred,” a Fox spokesperson told Deadline on Thursday, claiming that the same person filed a “nearly similar lawsuit in Brooklyn” in 2020 that was dismissed.
More than 2,500 cases related to the Adult Survivors Act have been filed in the past year, according to the Associated Press, where most of the abuse allegations occurred. in state and local prisons.
But it is the lawsuits against public figures that have garnered the most attention.
In October, actress Julia Ormond filed a similar lawsuit against disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein, 71. Sentenced to 39 years for rape and sexual assault At a New York state prison. The estates of actor and comedian Russell Brand, former President Donald Trump, and Jeffrey Epstein have also been hit by these lawsuits.
But perhaps the biggest bombshell came on Nov. 16, when Kathy accused her ex-partner Combs of continued physical and sexual abuse during their relationship, which lasted more than a decade.
Cassie's real name was Cassandra Ventura, and she was signed to Combs' Bad Boy record label when she was 19 years old. She Combs was 37 years old at the time. In her complaint, the singer claims Combs indoctrinated her into a “lifestyle of excessive alcohol and drug abuse,” frequently beat her, forced her to have sex with a male sex worker, and forced her to have sex with him. He claimed that he raped her when he tried to break up with her. Because of the graphic nature of her allegations, the 35-page complaint was accompanied by an unusual “trigger warning.”
At the time of the filing, Cathy referenced the Adult Survivors Act, saying in a prepared statement that with the law's expiration date rapidly approaching, “this is an opportunity to speak out about the trauma I have experienced. It has become clear that we will continue to do so.” The rest of my life will be spent recovering. ”
Mr. Combs ultimately settled his lawsuit with Mr. Cathy the next day. “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. We wish Cassie and her family all the best,” producer and rapper Cassie said in her statement.
A few days later, Harve Pierre, the former president of Bad Boy Records, was accused of grooming and sexually assaulting an assistant. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of “Jane Doe,” alleges Pierre “used his position of authority as Plaintiff's boss to groom, exploit, and sexually assault Plaintiff” between 2016 and 2017. He alleges that he sexually assaulted her multiple times over the course of 2019. Bad Boy Entertainment, Bad Boy Records and Combs Enterprises were also named as co-defendants on charges of negligence and gender violence.
In a statement Thursday, a Bad Boy Entertainment spokesperson said, “This allegation has been going on for years and was never brought to the company's attention.” We are investigating and our top priority is safety and security.” Employee happiness. ”
Hours before the Adult Survivors Act expired, Combs was once again the subject of sexual assault charges for an alleged date rape in 1991.
The plaintiff, who was a college student at the time, later learned from Devante Swing, a member of the R&B group Jodeci, that Combs had filmed the alleged assault and shared it with others, according to Thursday's filing.
“This last-minute lawsuit is an example of how well-intentioned laws can be overturned,” a spokeswoman for Combs said, calling the allegations “trumped up” and “not credible.”
“This is purely a money maker and nothing more,” the spokesperson added.
More high-profile complaints are expected to be filed in the coming weeks. This week, music producer Jimmy Iovine and New York City Mayor Eric Adams were served with subpoenas, a precursor to formal charges.
