Sheila Kennedy is now the talk of the town after accusing the Guns N’ Roses’ frontman Axl Rose of violent sexual assault when they met in 1989. The former model went to file a lawsuit against the legendary rock star in the New York Supreme Court on Wednesday, November 22. However, the singer-songwriter had already refuted the claim. So, as many get intrigued about this issue, get to know Kennedy and the case she filed against Rose.
Sheila Kennedy: Her Career and Personal Life
Born on April 12, 1962, Sheila Kennedy is a model and actress best known for being the Penthouse Pet of the Month in December 1981 and the Pet of the Year in 1983. She moved to the Penthouse Mansion in 1980 when she was only 18 and stayed there for a decade.
After being the Pet of the Month and Pet of the Year, she started an acting career and mostly appeared in low-budget sexy comedy films, like The First Turn-On!, Spring Break, and Ellie. Though only briefly, she also worked as a game show prize model for the opening scene of National Lampoon’s European Vacation.
Shocking revelation: Sheila Kennedy, ex-Penthouse model, sues Axl Rose, alleging a traumatic 1989 encounter. This lawsuit, surfacing under NY's Adult Survivors Act, raises serious questions about accountability in the music industry. Share your views. #Justice #SheilaKennedy… pic.twitter.com/DUsJm8zXM7
— Billy Snider (@sniderstyle) November 23, 2023
In 2008, she joined Big Brother 9 as a houseguest and came in third place. She later appeared as the co-host of House Calls: The Big Brother Talk Show for Big Brother 10. In 2016, she released the memoir No One’s Pet, chronicling her life at the Penthouse Mansion and her relationship with Bob Guccione.
Personal life-wise, Kennedy has one child, Mikhail, 16. She used to have a relationship with the former teen idol Leif Garrett, the boxer Ray Mancini, and Scott Baio. She now reportedly lives in California with her son and dog, Kitty.
Sheila Kennedy Sues Axl Rose
In the documentary about sexual abuse in the rock music industry, titled Look Away, Sheila Kennedy detailed her harrowing experience as a victim of a violent sexual assault by the intoxicated Axl Rose. On November 22, she eventually filed a lawsuit against the Guns N’ Roses singer. She sued the 61-year-old for battery, assault, gender-motivated violence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
According to the complaint, as obtained by CNN, the incident occurred when Rose was at the peak of his successful career, alleging he used his fame, status, and influence in the industry to “manipulate, control, and violently sexually assault” Kennedy in a New York City hotel room.
https://twitter.com/heardsstan/status/1727441629517382103
Allegedly, Rose knocked her to the floor, dragged her by the hair, held her hands, and started to assault her sexually. Without the complainant’s consent, she felt overpowered and afraid, thinking the safest thing to do was to let him finish. However, as a result, she suffered “severe emotional, physical, financial and psychological distress.”
Axl Rose’s Response to Sheila Kennedy’s Complaint
Axl Rose then issued a statement through his attorney, Alan S. Gutman, to address the allegations made against him by Sheila Kennedy. “Simply put, this incident never happened,” he said.
He called the claims “fictional” and were timely filed a day before the New York State filing deadline expired. Rose couldn’t remember if he ever had met or spoken to Kennedy aside from the possibility of having a fan photo with her in the past. He had never heard of these allegations until it was made.
“Mr. Rose is confident this case will be resolved in his favor,” Gutman said.
Sheila Kennedy’s suit is the latest to rock the music industry through New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily waived the statute of limitations on sexual misconduct claims for civil suits.#AxlRose #GunsNRoses #Sexual #Assault #Adult
(via The Guardian) pic.twitter.com/ZT9xS8dha4
— MarieFranceRemillard (@MFRemillard) November 22, 2023
Kennedy’s lawsuit was filed under the pretense of New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which became effective in late November 2022. This lets the sexual abuse survivors file a complaint against their abusers in New York even if the statute of limitations on their claims had already expired. This law gives sexual assault survivors a year to file lawsuits against their attackers before it expires on November 24.
As always, there are two sides to the story, and it remains to be seen who between the two tells the truth. However, this isn’t the first time that Rose has been sued for assault and even has a long history of legal trouble. Though this may not prove that he’s guilty of Kennedy’s claim, these cases seem to be a norm in the industry today, and many hope it will change soon.
