Axl Rose, the lead vocalist of Guns N’ Roses, reportedly settled a sexual assault and battery lawsuit Wednesday filed by former model Sheila Kennedy for an undisclosed amount of money.
Kennedy filed the lawsuit in November 2023, alleging the rock star assaulted her. Rose attempted to have the lawsuit dismissed in March, but was unsuccessful and reached a settlement agreement Wednesday, according to People. Rose has consistently denied the allegations.
“As I have from the beginning, I deny the allegations. There was no assault,” he told the outlet.
INDIO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 30: Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses performs onstage with Carrie Underwood during Day 2 of the 2022 Stagecoach Festival at the Empire Polo Field on April 30, 2022 in Indio, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Stagecoach)
Kennedy claims Rose sexually assaulted her in a New York City hotel in 1989. She alleged the rock legend “targeted” her by using his celebrity status to “manipulate, control and violently sexually assault” her, the outlet previously reported.
The former model claimed Rose “grabbed her by the hair and dragged her” to his bedroom and proceeded to tie her hands behind her back before “forcibly penetrating” her. The suit alleged that “Kennedy did not consent and felt overpowered. She felt she had no escape or exit and was compelled to acquiesce,” according to the outlet.
“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,” the suit continued, according to the outlet.
View this post on Instagram
Rose’s legal team reportedly referenced Kennedy’s 2016 memoir, “No One’s Pet,” in which she called the incident “consensual sex.”
Kennedy wrote that she was “crying and bleeding,” but also added, “Weirdly enough, I was okay with this. I had wanted to be with him the minute I’d first laid eyes on him, and now I was getting him. Once he was done he untied me and we fucked around some more,” according to the outlet.
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL – JUNE 05: Axl Rose and Slash of Guns N’ Roses perform at Hayarkon Park on June 05, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo by Shlomi Pinto/Redferns)
The rock star has always denied the allegations against him. (RELATED: Police Launch Sexual Assault Investigation Against Malcolm Barrett: REPORT)
“Mr. Rose has suffered greatly from this lawsuit, and I am pleased that he will now be able to move on with his life,” E. Danya Perry, Rose’s attorney, told People.
