Rick James Estate Sued Over Artist’s Alleged Rape of a Minor in 1979
Written by SOURCE on February 17, 2020
The estate of Rick James has been sued by an anonymous woman who has alleged the R&B and soul singer raped her in 1979 when she was 15. The Associated Press reports the woman says she was assaulted by James when he visited the youth detention center she lived at in Buffalo, New York. She said that other girls were happy to see him, but she did not know who he was at the time.
“Almost immediately, Rick James was very suggestive and inappropriate towards me,” she wrote in the affidavit, filed on Feb. 13 in Erie County Supreme Court. “As I was laying on my belly on my bed, Rick James came into my bedroom and swiftly laid on top of me,” she continued. “He grabbed my hair and pushed my head into the pillow. I tried to fight him off, but he told me, ‘Shut up and quit moving or I’ll cut you.’ He violently ripped off my underwear and proceeded to violent rape me and ejaculate inside of me.”
After the alleged assault, she claims he told her he “would know where to find” her if she told anyone. She is seeking damages of $50 million, citing years of “physical, psychological, and emotional injury.” The lawsuit was filed against The James Ambrose Johnson Jr. 1999 Trust, which is run by Rick James’ estate.
The late singer has previously been accused of abusive behavior in the past. He was convicted of assaulting two women in 1993, and one of the women alleged he imprisoned and tortured her over a three day period. He was also under investigation in 2002 for the alleged sexual assault of a woman. The “Super Freak” singer died in 2004.
