Axl Rose Is Being Sued for Sexual Assault

CONTENT WARNING: The following article discusses sexual assault and rape.

A former Penthouse model has levelled serious historical sexual assault allegations against Axl Rose, accusing the Guns N’ Roses frontman of “violently” raping her after the pair met at a New York nightclub in 1989.

Sheila Kennedy is taking Rose to court over the alleged incident, which she says happened after the rockstar flew into an aggressive rage when she exited a drug-fuelled party in his hotel room.

“He treated her like property”

In the civil lawsuit filed in New York City this week, Kennedy claims that Rose invited her and former MTV host, Riki Rachtman, to a party in his hotel room, encouraging them to do cocaine and engage in group sex.

Kennedy says she became “uncomfortable” and the pair exited, causing Rose to become “furious” and “loom threateningly” before following them to Rachtman’s hotel room.

“Rose grabbed Kennedy by her robe and knocked her to the floor in the hallway outside Rachtman’s bedroom door,” the lawsuit alleges. “While Kennedy was still on the ground, Rose grabbed her by the hair and dragged her across the suite back to his bedroom. This was very painful for Kennedy and caused her knees to bleed from scraping on the rug.

“Rose then sexually assaulted Kennedy,” it continues. “Rose forcibly penetrating Kennedy’s anus with his penis. 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. Kennedy did not consent and felt overpowered.”

Kennedy says the experience has left her battling “lifelong emotional, physical, psychological, and financial impacts”.

The model first went public with her accusations against Rose back in 2016 when she released her autobiography, but her lawsuit was only recently made possible by New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which allowed the statute of limitations on civil suits concerning sexual misconduct to be waived for a year.

Rose’s attorney, Alan Gutman, has since responded to the lawsuit, denying all the claims.

“Simply put, this incident never happened,” he said. “Notably, these fictional claims were filed the day before the New York State filing deadline expires.”

If you need assistance, 1800 RESPECT – the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service — can be reached on 1800 737 732.

For help or information regarding mental health, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.

Further Reading

Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose Won’t Throw Microphone Into Crowd Anymore After Injuring Adelaide Fan

Axl Rose Was Allegedly Denied A Police Escort To Guns N’ Roses’ Melbourne Show

Artists Hit Out At Half-A-Million Dollar Government Grant Given To Guns N’ Roses Concert Promoters TEG Dainty