Gene Simmons has been sued for alleged sexual battery. The Kiss bassist is being sued by an unnamed radio and television broadcaster who on Friday, December 15 alleged that he made “unwanted, unwarranted sexual advances,” including groping, during an on-camera interview.
The incident took place on November 1 during a radio interview with Simmons and bandmate Paul Stanley. The plaintiff, who’s identified in the document as “Jane Doe,” met the duo for an interview at their Rock & Brews restaurant at the San Manuel Casino in Highland, California when, according to the lawsuit, Simmons repeatedly grabbed the woman’s hand and “forcefully placed it on his knee and held it on his knee.” The documents also detail that Simmons “forcibly flicked/struck” the woman’s throat, later followed by “incoherent explanation” for his behavior.
After the Nov. 1 interview, the woman later posed alongside Simmons for a promotional photograph, when Simmons “reached toward Plaintiff Doe’s buttocks and touched it,” the documents point out. The allegations include sexual battery, gender violence, battery, and assault.
“Defendant Simmons turned standard interview questions into sexual innuendos, which made plaintiff Doe extremely uncomfortable,” said the woman’s attorney, Willie W. Williams. “My client is embarrassed and humiliated by the incident with Mr. Simmons,” Williams later shared with The San Bernardino Sun. “She filed suit because she wanted to make a strong statement that this behavior is unacceptable and she wants to see an end to this type of behavior.”
Simmons has denied these allegations. In a statement shared with SPIN, Simmons shared:
“I intend to defend myself against any alleged charges you may have been reading about in the media. For the record, I did not assault the person making these accusations in the manner alleged in the complaint or harm her in any way. I am conferring with my lawyers with the aim of vigorously countering these allegations. And, I look forward to my day in court where the evidence will prove my innocence.”
Gene Simmons Sued for Sexual Misconduct by Sarah Batcha on Scribd
