The end of the New York's Adult Survivors Act accelerates lawsuits against celebrities

As the deadline to file lawsuits under New York's Adult Survivors Act is about to end, new lawsuits are coming against famous people who are being accused of sex crimes that would normally be past the statute of limitations. Axl Rose, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Jamie Foxx are three celebrities that became last-minute additions to the list of more than 2,500 cases brought to court under the rule's purview.

The law, pushed by Democrats in New York, allows charges of sexual abuse to be filed for incidences from the distant past. The measure was approved in May 2022 and took effect on Nov. 23 of the same year. It will expire this Friday, Nov. 24.

Actors and musicians

Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. was sued in New York just under 48 hours before the law expired. According to the lawsuit, two women accuse him of events that occurred in 2018 and 2019. One of them claims that Gooding kissed her without consent when she worked at the New York restaurant LAVO in 2018. Gooding Jr. previously pleaded guilty to the same charge in 2022, when three other women accused him of groping that occurred on the same night.

The other plaintiff claims that Gooding Jr. touched her breast at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge in New York after she sat at a table next to the actor and his girlfriend. She had previously filed a complaint, to which Gooding pleaded guilty.

The difference in these two cases, which were previously resolved but are now returning to court, is that the plaintiffs now demand compensation from Gooding, the amount of which is not specified in their lawsuits.

In the case of Axl Rose, singer of Guns N' Roses, the events for which he is now being sued date back to 1989. The lawsuit was also filed this Wednesday before the New York State Supreme Court. Sheila Kennedy, a former model, claims that during a party with an abundance of drugs and alcohol, the rock singer sexually assaulted her. Although the woman initially intended to sleep with Axl Rose, there was a subsequent sexual relationship that was allegedly violent and not consensual.

In a statement from Rose's lawyer, reported by The Guardian, the defense denied Kennedy's accusations. "Quite simply, this incident never occurred. Notably, these fictitious claims were filed one day before the New York State filing deadline expired."

Anonymous lawsuits

As with the case of actor and musician Jamie Foxx, music producer Jimmy Iovine is being accused anonymously in a last-minute lawsuit filed in New York. According to Variety, which had access to the lawsuit, the facts are not specifically detailed. The plaintiff is alleged to have "suffered as a result of being sexually abused, forcibly touched, and sexually harassed and retaliated against in violation of anti-discrimination laws in or around August 2007."