Guns N' Roses vocalist Axl Rose has settled the sexual assault lawsuit filed against him by ex-Penthouse model Sheila Kennedy in November 2023. According to a report by Rolling Stone, the lawsuit has now been settled though the details have not been made public.
In a statement provided to Rolling Stone, Rose maintained his innocence, saying "As I have from the beginning, I deny the allegations. There was no assault." Rose's lawyer E. Danya Perry added: "Mr. Rose has suffered greatly from this lawsuit, and I am pleased that he will now be able to move on with his life."
Kennedy sued Rose for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and gender-motivated violence. According to the lawsuit, Kennedy claimed Rose violently sexually assaulted in a New York hotel room. Kennedy met Rose at a nightclub with a friend, and eventually went back to Rose's hotel room alongside another model and future MTV host Riki Rachtman.
Kennedy claimed that Rose provided his guests with drugs and alcohol, and eventually "pushed Kennedy against the wall and kissed her" when she exited the bathroom. Later that night, she alleged that Rose began having sex with the other model, adding that "Rose was aggressive in a way that appeared painful for the model" and that Rose "was encouraging group sex." At this point, Kennedy and Rachtman left the room.
Upon leaving, Kennedy said she heard glass shattering. "She also heard Rose screaming at the model, allegedly saying, 'You’re a fucking whore. Get the fuck out of here.'" Rose then stormed down the hallway to Rachtman's room and, seeing Kennedy, pushed her down. "While Kennedy was on the ground, Rose grabbed her by the hair and dragged her across the suite back to his bedroom," the suit said, adding that Rose then threw her onto his bed and tied her hands behind her back with a pair of pantyhose.
"Kennedy lay there on the bed with her hands tied behind her back, bleeding, vulnerable, and alone with Rose while he was in a sexual, volatile rage," the suit continued, adding that Rose performed unwanted anal sex on Kennedy. "Kennedy had just witnessed Rose violently have sex with another woman. He dragged Kennedy to his bedroom like a caveman and acted with uncontrolled fury. Rose had physically stopped her from leaving. Kennedy was trapped."
"He treated her like property used solely for his sexual pleasure. He did not use a condom. Kennedy did not consent and felt overpowered. She felt she had no escape or exit and was compelled to acquiesce. 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."
