A surge of high-profile sexual abuse lawsuits was filed in New York this week before the expiration of a state law that temporarily suspended the statute of limitations for civil abuse and harassment claims. These claims were made possible by the New York Adult Survivors Act - a law that allows accusers to file lawsuits against alleged sexual abusers regardless of when the abuse took place.
The lawsuits have cast the spotlight on a string of high-profile individuals including New York City Mayor Eric Adams, rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs, and Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose. If the claims against them are not dismissed or settled, they could face jury trials.
The Adult Survivors Act
Modelled after a previous New York law that allowed a temporary window for child sexual abuse survivors to file claims, Governor Kathy Hochul enacted the Adult Survivors Act on November 24, 2022.
Similar laws, including New York City's Gender Motivated Violence Act, which has a retrospection period extending to 2025, and California's Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act, applicable to claims arising between 2009 and 2019 and expiring in 2026, provide additional means for victims to seek legal recourse.
In one of the first cases under New York's Adult Survivors Act, author E Jean Carroll successfully sued former US President Donald Trump for sexual abuse which allegedly took place in 1996. The Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily lifted the statute of limitations for civil claims of abuse and harassment, provided a window of opportunity for Ms Carroll to seek justice for an incident that occurred decades prior. Ms Carroll was awarded $5 million for the case, however, Mr Trump denied all the allegations.
As the deadline for the law was Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 23), over 2,500 lawsuits have been filed.
High Profile Cases
Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses Frontman)
A California-based actor and model, has accused Axl Rose of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed on November 22, 2023. The alleged assault reportedly took place in 1989, when Mr Rose was at the peak of his career and fame.
The complaint claims Mr Rose "used his fame, status, and power as a celebrity and performer in the music industry to gain access to manipulate, control, and violently sexually assault Kennedy."
Mr Rose has denied the allegations.
Sean "Diddy" Combs (Rapper)
Rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs has found himself as the subject of one of the lawsuits when a woman alleged that he engaged in non-consensual sexual conduct with her while she was a student at Syracuse University in 1991. The lawsuit, filed on Thanksgiving Day, alleges that the woman suffered post-traumatic disorders due to the lasting harm that the incident caused.
"The sexual assault and public exposure of it, caused her to suffer overwhelming feelings of humiliation, embarrassment, violation, and constant apprehension about who all viewed it," the complaint reads.
Mr Combs has denied the allegations.
Eric Adams (New York City Mayor)
A former employee of the City of New York has filed a $5 million lawsuit against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, accusing him of sexual assault that took place in 1993. The lawsuit outlines "sexual assault, battery and employment discrimination".
"The claims brought here allege intentional and negligent acts and omissions for physical, psychological, and other injuries suffered as a result of conduct that would constitute sexual offenses," it reads.
Mr Adams has denied the allegations.
Andrew Cuomo (Former New York Governor)
A former executive assistant to former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, filed a lawsuit on November 22 alleging that Mr Cuomo groped her breast and buttocks. The lawsuit claims that the abuse caused her "substantial personal injuries and economic loss".
"The continuous sexual harassment by defendant Cuomo included unwelcome sexual advances, sexualized comments about appearance and personal matters, relations, their dating, their sex life, and her marriage, assignment of humiliating and demeaning tasks, hugs, kisses, sexual touching of the buttocks, and forcible touching of the breast," the lawsuit read.
Mr Cuomo has denied the allegations.
Russel Brand (Actor, Comedian, Presenter)
British comedian and actor Russell Brand, among the many sexual abuse allegations that he faces, is also facing a lawsuit under New York's Adult Survivors Act. The lawsuit, filed on November 3, alleges that Mr Brand sexually assaulted a woman on the set of the 2011 film "Arthur."
The woman has accused Mr Brand of sexually assaulting her in a bathroom "as a member of the production crew guarded the door from outside."
Jamie Foxx (Actor)
Hollywood actor Jamie Foxx also faces a lawsuit under New York's Adult Survivors Act after a woman accused him of "intentionally and without consent used force to offensively touch" her at a rooftop bar in Manhattan in 2015.
The woman has accused the Oscar-winning actor, 55, of grabbing her by the "arm and pulling her to the back area of the rooftop".
What Happens Now
As New York's Adult Survivors Act expired on Thursday, the statute of limitations for civil suits arising from historical abuse will come back into effect, barring victims the window of opportunity for pursuing legal action against past sexual abusers.
New York has aligned itself with a rising wave of states reevaluating time limitations for civil lawsuits stemming from sexual assault, particularly those involving child victims.
