Rock star Gene Simmons denies he made “sexually offensive contact” with a TV and radio broadcaster, as alleged in a lawsuit filed against him on Friday.
Simmons tweeted on Sunday that he intends to “vigorously” counter the allegations, which include “forcibly” flicking the accuser’s throat and touching her buttocks during an on-camera interview last month.
“For the record, I did not assault the person making these accusations in the manner alleged in the complaint or harm her in any way,” the 68-year-old Kiss bassist and singer wrote in a statement posted to Twitter.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in the Los Angeles County Superior Court under the pseudonym “Jane Doe,” contends Simmons made “unwanted, unwarranted sexual advances” toward the accuser while she interviewed him at his Rock & Brews restaurant in Highland, California, on Nov. 1.
Willie W. Williams, the attorney representing the accuser, told The San Bernardino Sun that his client was not seeking publicity and wished to remain anonymous. The lawsuit describes the accuser as a “long-time, on-air personality for a local rock station.”
The alleged misconduct occurred in the restaurant’s “green room,” according to the lawsuit. Simmons allegedly grabbed the accuser’s hand, “forcefully” placed it on his knee, and held it there. He also allegedly turned the accuser’s interview questions into “sexual innuendos,” which made her “extremely uncomfortable.”
The lawsuit contends Simmons also “forcibly flicked/struck” the accuser in the throat, for which he provided an “incoherent” explanation. Following the interview, Simmons allegedly touched the accuser’s buttocks as they posed for a group picture.
Witnesses, including the camera technician, were allegedly “mortified” by Simmons’ “sexually-charged antics,” according to a statement released by Williams’ law office and obtained by the Sun.
“My client is embarrassed and humiliated by the incident with Mr. Simmons,” Williams told The Sun. “She filed suit because she wanted to make a strong statement that this behavior is unacceptable and she wants to see an end to this type of behavior.”
The lawsuit accuses Simmons of committing sexual battery, gender violence, gender discrimination, and negligent infliction of emotional distress. Several companies associated with Rock & Brews, a restaurant chain founded by Simmons and KISS guitarist Paul Stanley, are also named as defendants in the lawsuit.
William did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment. A representative for Rock & Brews said the company, “as a policy, does not comment on matters in litigation.”