Alex Arger
Law that launched thousands of sexual abuse suits is about to expire
For the last year, people have been able to sue individuals and organizations in New York for alleged sexual assaults that took place a long time ago.
LEARN MOREPosted: 9:52 p.m. EST Nov 22, 2023
Jamie Foxx is being sued for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman at a New York City rooftop bar in 2015.
The woman, identified as Jane Doe in the lawsuit filed Wednesday, claims the crime took place in August 2015 at Catch NYC & Roof.
According to the suit, the plaintiff and her friend were sitting at a table near Foxx and the bar's co-founder, Mark Birnbaum when at around 1 a.m., her friend asked Foxx if he'd take a photo with the two women, to which he allegedly replied, "Sure baby anything for you."
After taking several photos, Jane Doe claims an apparently intoxicated Foxx made several comments to her, including, "Wow, you have that supermodel body," "You smell so good" and "You look like Nickie," which he clarified to mean Gabrielle Union, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiff says Foxx then grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to a secluded, back area of the rooftop. There, she claims he "placed both of his hands" on her waist, moved them under her "'crop top' and began rubbing her breasts," the lawsuit states.
Upon attempting to step away from Foxx, Jane Doe alleges she noticed Foxx's security guard saw what happened "but walked further away." She claims Foxx then put his hands in her pants and "put his fingers on and in Plaintiff's vagina and anus."
The alleged encounter ended when the woman's friend came looking for her, and Foxx stopped touching her and walked over to his security guard.
The woman claims the alleged "sexual assault, abuse, assault and battery" caused her to undergo medical treatment and created "great conscious pain and suffering" and emotional distress that will "permanently" affect her.
Through the lawsuit, Jane Doe is seeking a jury trial and compensatory and punitive damages from Foxx, Catch and its employees, who she claims enabled the assault by failing to adequately supervise and prevent the "heinous acts that Foxx inflicted on the Plaintiff."
Foxx has not commented on the claims.
The suit was one of many timely litigations made this week under New York's expiring Adult Survivors Act, which opened a one-year window for survivors to file claims involving their alleged assaults no matter when they took place.
The looming deadline of Thursday night at midnight has prompted a series of high-profile lawsuits, particularly this week. Just on Wednesday, sexual misconduct suits were filed against Axl Rose, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Jimmy Iovine. Bill Cosby was also served another lawsuit Tuesday.
