Leon Black faces lawsuit for sexual assault

Edward Anderson on November 29, 2022

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Leon Black, Wall Street tycoon and billionaire, is being sued by a woman who accused him of sexual assault two decades ago.

According to the woman, Black raped her in the spring of 2002 at Jeffrey Epstein’s mansion in Manhattan.

The allegations

Plaintiff Cheri Pierson named Black and the estate of the late Jeffrey Epstein as defendants in the lawsuit filed in New York court on Monday.

According to Pierson, Epstein arranged the meeting for her to massage Black on the third floor of his mansion.

She accepted the meeting in exchange for money to take care of her little girl.

Instead, Black raped her in a “brutal attack” and left her “swollen, torn and bleeding.”

The complaint filed by Wigdor LLP, a law firm, states:

“By the time Ms. Pierson exited the massage suite and rode down the elevator with Black, she could barely walk out of the house onto the sidewalk, as she was in excruciating pain and still in shock.”

On Monday, Leon Black denied the allegations.

The perpetrator

Susan Estrich of Estrich Goldin, Leon Black’s attorney, released a statement.

She responded, saying Pierson’s allegations were “categorically false and part of a scheme to extort money from Mr. Black by threatening to destroy his reputation.”

According to Forbes, Black’s net worth is $9 billion.

Leon Black stepped down as CEO of Apollo in January 2021.

His resignation followed an independent review of his connection to convicted sex offender Epstein.

Black said in a letter to investors a year earlier that he regretted his dealings with Epstein.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that the former Wall Street mogul may have paid more than $75 million to Epstein for consultation and other services.

The report came from two people aware of the transactions and noted that they would socialize and dine together.

Leon Black is also dealing with another case where Russian model Guzel Ganieva claimed he sexually assaulted her.

Additionally, Ganieva says Black falsely accused her of blackmail when she spoke out against him.

He also denies these allegations.

The complaint

On Monday, Wigdor filed a lawsuit for Cheri Pierson under New York’s Adult Survivor Act.

Doug Wigdor campaigned for the new law, passed in May and recently went into effect.

The Adult Survivors Act gives adult survivors of sexual assault one year to file lawsuits against their abusers in New York and waives the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits.

According to Pierson, Epstein told her weeks before her alleged attack that he was setting up a meeting with an unnamed wealthy associate.

He promised his partner could help her with a skincare product she was trying to market.

According to the complaint, Pierson’s injuries from the alleged rape were so severe that she had difficulty urinating for weeks.

She didn’t have health insurance at the time.

Also, Black reportedly called her several times after the attack and told her he felt bad and wanted to talk.

Then he gave her $5,000 at a bar.

After they met, Leon called Black and asked to see her again.

However, Pierson declined to see him.

Wigdor’s partner Jean Christensen released a statement saying:

“Thanks to the passage of the Adult Survivors Act, survivors of sexual violence like our client, Ms. Pierson, can seek the justice they deserve no matter how many years ago their trauma was suffered.”

Reference:

Lawsuit alleges billionaire investor Leon Black raped a woman inside Jeffrey Epstein’s home

Report: Musician Rex Orange County to go on trial for six charges of sexual assault

Jason Robinson on October 20, 2022

Sexual assault is gravely frowned upon, and fans are shocked and heartbroken to learn that Rex Orange County was the perpetrator of the allegations.

The singer was recently accused of sexually assaulting a woman six times in two days.

The reports

Several news outlets, like Variety and The Guardian, claimed Rex Orange County assaulted a woman six times.

The first two times took place in the West End on June 1, 2021, according to The Sun.

He then attacked her in a taxi the next day and three more times that same day at her home in Notting Hill.

A statement was released on his behalf, stating:

“Alex is shocked by the allegations, which he denies and looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

Appearing in court

On Monday, the 10th of October, the singer appeared at London’s Southwark Crown Court.

Rex Orange County pleaded not guilty to charges of intentional touching of a sexual nature without consent.

He was released unconditionally on bail for his three-day trial.

The trial is scheduled for January 3, 2023.

Rex Orange County

Alexander James O’Connor started his music career in 2016 and caught the eye of American rapper Tyler, the Creator.

The two then collaborated on the Tyler, the Creator album, Flower Boy.

From there, Rex Orange County became a popular name among music fans.

His third studio album, Who Cares? was released in March and topped the UK charts.

In July, Rex Orange County announced that he would be canceling his tour dates in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, citing unforeseen personal circumstances.

The message reads:

“It is with a great deal of sadness to announce that due to unforeseen personal circumstances, I am having to spend some time at home this year and I will not be able to continue with touring as planned.”

“The UK/IRE dates will still go ahead this summer but Gunnersbury Park in London on August 13th will be the last show of the year.”

“I am devastated to say that the Australia, New Zealand, and European shows scheduled for September and November will be cancelled [sic].”

“All tickets will be refunded. This is the last thing I want to do.”

“I love touring and I am so sorry to be letting anyone down. I look forward to getting back to it as soon as I can.”

References:

Singer Rex Orange County charged with sexual assault

Rex Orange County charged with 6 counts of sexual assault in the UK

R. Kelly found guilty for sexually abusing minors

Nicholas Alexander on September 16, 2022

Warning: the following article contains sensitive content that readers may find disturbing

Robert Sylvester Kelly, best known as the artist R. Kelly, was found guilty of child sexual abuse after a four-week trial.

The disgraced artist was convicted on 6 of his 13 counts in his hometown of Chicago.

News

In 2021, R. Kelly was sentenced to his 30-year prison sentence in New York on sex trafficking and extortion charges. The latest judgment adds years to his sentence.

A verdict was handed down Wednesday, and he was found guilty of three counts of sexually seducing a minor and three counts of making sexual images of a child.

However, a jury found him not guilty of obstruction of justice charges at his trial in 2008, and he was acquitted.

Meanwhile, two former colleagues of his who were charged with tampering with the 2008 lawsuit have been cleared of all charges.

Jane

The 2008 trial centered around a 30-minute video of her showing a pedophile attacking her 14-year-old girl.

The jury cleared Kelly of all charges because the victim, who went by the alias Jane, refused to testify in court at the time.

Earlier this year, however, Jane testified that she was the victim seen on video.

The 37-year-old revealed she was sexually assaulted by Kelly hundreds of times before she turned 18.

The tape and two others were shown to jurors at the trial, where four other women accused Kelly of abusing them as children.

More than 30 witnesses testified.

The video

In Monday’s closing debate, jurors had panic attacks while presenting blatant accounts of child abuse.

A juror was dismissed and replaced by another juror.

Elizabeth Pozzolo, Assistant U.S. Attorney, has spoken out about a video of the pedophile urinating on a young girl.

“That degrading act is forever captured on that video. That abuse is forever memorialized.”

“Who does that?” Pozolo continued.

“Who uses a 14-year-old child to film a video like this? This man. Robert Kelly.”

The artist’s disgraceful attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, denounced prosecutors after the verdict was read.

She accused them of “charged counts that they couldn’t win.”

Bonjean also claimed the jury did its job to exonerate half of the pedophile charges.

“Obviously we are not celebrating a win, but are happy the jury looked at each count.”

September 2021 trial

At the September 2021 trial in New York, jurors heard that Kelly trafficked women between various states in the United States for sexual abuse.

The action is said to have been carried out with the help of officers, security guards, and other members of his entourage.

The media emphasized that the 2021 conviction was the first of the #MeToo movement to put a black prosecutor at the center of a major sexual abuse trial.

In 2021, the court also learned how the pedophile artist obtained the paperwork to marry the 15-year-old singer Aaliyah in 1994, seven years before her untimely death.

A leaked marriage certificate at the time listed Aaliyah’s age as 18. However, the marriage was dissolved after a few months.

Reference:

R. Kelly: disgraced R&B star guilty of child abuse