Who Is Rick James' Rape Accuser? Musician's Estate Sued For $50M Over Alleged Rape Of A Minor In 1979
The details are pretty disturbing.
Getty During his lifetime, Rick James was nothing if not a controversial figure. Certainly, he had his fair share of hits — "Super Freak," perhaps, is the most famous of all his hits — but he also had his fair share of controversies. The most notable controversy, in his lifetime, came courtesy of his addiction to crack-cocaine, during which he kidnaped, and tortured, two different women while he was high on the illegal drug. Convicted on two separate charges of kidnapping and torture — one for each of the women he abused — he was ultimately sentenced to three years in the infamous Folsom State Prison. James ultimately died in 2004 of heart failure.
Now, however, a new victim has come forward and is suing James' estate for $50 million thanks to a rape that allegedly happened in 1979.
So who is Rick James' new rape accuser? Let's look at what we know about these stunning new allegations.
1. Who is Rick James' rape accuser? Her name has not been released to the media.
Because the accuser was a minor at the time the alleged rape happened in 1979, her name has not been released to the media. She filed the claim against James' estate under the Child Victims' Act, which allows victims of child rape up to one year to file claims against their alleged rapists, even if the statute of limitations had run out.
2. The accuser's attorney said she told someone about the rape back when it happened, but didn't file charges.
"She did report it. More facts will come out as the case proceeds," said attorney Darren Seilback of Oddo and Babat law firm in New York City, who represents the accuser. Seilback, who said his client was 15 years old at the time of the alleged rape, did not reveal the name of the person the accuser told at the time of the 1979 incident.
3. The details of the alleged rape are harrowing.
The accuser filed an affidavit in the Erie County Supreme Court, in which she goes into graphic detail about what James allegedly did to her back in 1979, when she was living at a halfway house for troubled youth. "As I was laying on my belly on my bed, Rick James came into my bedroom and swiftly laid on top of me. He grabbed my hair and pushed my head into my pillow. I tried to fight him off, but he told me to "shut up and quit moving, or I'll kill you," she wrote, before describing how James "violently" raped her.
4. Two years before his death, James was under investigation for the rape of a woman in his home.
James' troubles with the law didn't stop after he got clean, unfortunately. In 2002, just two years before his death, James was under investigation for an alleged sexual assault that took place inside his home in Woodland Hills, CA. The accuser, who declined to be identified, was 26 years old at the time of the assault.
5. 50 Cent came forward to defend Rick James.
When news of the pending lawsuit against James's estate first came out, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson came forward to defend the late singer and producer. 50 Cent questioned the validity of the accusation in an Instagram post. "Come on now, who waits 41 years to file a complaint?" the rapper asked, rhetorically. "I'm sorry, this is bulls**t! Bye!" He also followed it up with another Instagram post that was subsequently deleted but captured by another account that further questioned the validity of the accuser's claims.
6. James' estate had no comment regarding the case.
As of this writing, no formal comment has been made by the estate of Rick James about the pending case. However, we will keep you apprised of any updates as they emerge.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.