American actor and musician, Eric Marlon Bishop, professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is being accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a NYC restaurant.
The woman claims that the actor assaulted her at the Catch Rooftop Restaurant in August 2015.
The woman, identified as Jane Doe, alleges that she and her friend were in the restaurant when her friend spotted the comedian and asked him for a selfie.
Allegedly, the “Ray” actor started complementing her body, telling her she looked like Gabrielle Union. He then allegedly took her to a secluded area on the roof of the restaurant, where he allegedly assaulted her.
Jane Doe is seeking a trial by jury and is suing for compensatory and punitive damages, alleging “sexual assault, abuse, assault, and battery.
According to British online newspaper The Independent, Foxx denies the allegation and intends to issue a countersuit against Jane Doe. “The alleged incident never happened. In 2020, this individual filed a nearly identical lawsuit in Brooklyn. That case was dismissed shortly thereafter. The claims are no more viable today than they were then. We are confident they will be dismissed again. And once they are, Mr. Foxx intends to pursue a claim for malicious prosecution against this person and her attorneys for re-filing this frivolous action,” Foxx’s spokesperson told the newspaper.
The lawsuit is one of numerous sexual assault complaints filed this week ahead of New York’s Adult Survivors Act (ASA), which expires tomorrow, November 24.
The Adult Survivors Act (ASA) is New York State legislation implemented in May 2022. The act amends state law to allow alleged victims of sexual offences for which the statute of limitations has lapsed to file civil suits for a one-year period, from November 24, 2022, to November 24, 2023. The act allows plaintiffs to sue for sexual assault and unwanted sexual contact in the workplace.