Nelly Asks Court to Dismiss Anonymous Sex-Assault Lawsuit

Hip-hop star Nelly has asked a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit by an anonymous woman who claimed the rapper sexually assaulted her after one of his concerts in England in December 2017, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in St. Louis last November. She alleges she paid to have her picture taken with Nelly, after which he masturbated in front of her, tried to kiss her, and then forcibly put her hand and her mouth on his penis. Nelly argues the alleged victim should not be allowed to remain anonymous in her filing, with his attorney Scott Rosenblum saying she “should not be permitted to avoid public scrutiny.” In a statement, Nelly said: “The truth will come out, and I will be vindicated. These types of false allegations undermine real claims of sexual abuse/harassment by real victims.” The lawsuit also accuses Nelly’s girlfriend Shantel Jackson of defamation, claiming Jackson tweeted about the woman and called her a liar.