Nelly wants lawsuit dismissed alleging he sexually assaulted British woman
Rapper Nelly is ready to move on from the controversy surrounding a British woman’s lawsuit that alleges he sexually assaulted her after a concert in England.
According to Page Six, Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Haynes Jr., wasn’t criminally charged and has denied the allegations. Now he wants a U.S. court to intervene and dismiss the accuser’s federal lawsuit, which was filed in November in the rapper’s hometown St. Louis.
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As TheGrio previously reported, court docs obtained by TMZ revealed Jane Doe’s claims that Nelly masturbated in front of her and forced her to perform oral sex on him after a concert in December 2017. She also named his girlfriend, Shantel Jackson, in the lawsuit for claiming on social media that Nelly’s accusers were lying. The hip-hop star previously settled a similar lawsuit in September filed by a woman who alleged he raped her on his tour bus in Seattle.
“I’ve been quiet for some time. But these baseless allegations hurt more than just me. The truth will come out, and I will be vindicated,” Nelly said in a statement to Us Weekly regarding Jane Doe’s lawsuit. “These types of false allegations undermine real claims of sexual abuse / harassment by real victims.”
She continued, “To go after my girlfriend as well is unfair and goes too far. Shantel has been through enough. I am a father to a beautiful strong woman. I was raised by a strong single woman. I love them all very much.”
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Nelly’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, reportedly filed a response to the suit, arguing that Jane Doe shouldn’t be allowed to remain anonymous and “avoid public scrutiny” because, as noted by CBS News, this invites shady individuals and folks with personal vendettas “to use the federal court system as a tool to inflict calculated harm against others’ reputations” while protecting themselves from scrutiny “that false accusations properly risk and invite.”
Prosecutors have decided not to charge the “Hot in Herre” rapper, citing a lack of cooperation by his accuser.
