Tommy Lee sued for allegedly sexually assaulting woman in helicopter
Tommy Lee is being sued for the alleged sexual assault of a woman in a helicopter.
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A woman identified only as Jane Doe claims in the suit that the Mötley Crüe drummer assaulted her in 2003, having lured her to his personal helicopter “under false pretences”. She went on a 40-minute trip from San Diego to Van Nuys with Lee’s personal helicopter pilot before Lee joined them when they landed.
She goes on to allege that the two men “consumed several alcoholic beverages, smoked marijuana, and snorted cocaine” before Lee “then proceeded to sexually assault [her] by forcibly groping, kissing, penetrating her with his fingers, and attempting to force her to perform oral copulation.”
As a result of the alleged assault, Doe says she has suffered severe emotional, physical, and psychological distress.
The woman claims she befriended Lee’s pilot, David Martz, while working in a bank in San Diego and he later offered her a trip in the helicopter. After she accepted, however, he unexpectedly changed his plan and flew to Van Nuys. When they landed, Lee approached the helicopter.
She adds that minutes after takeoff, she claimed the men began drinking and doing drugs, after which Lee asked her to sit on his lap to get a better view from the cockpit and she “acquiesced”.
Following this, the woman alleges that Lee began “groping and kissing” her as she tried pulling away. He then supposedly became “forceful” and attempted to force her head towards his genitals. She was had minimal mobility and pointed out she was unable to leave the cockpit.
The victim claims to be suffering “shock, distress, humiliation, shame, and guilt” with “permanent” emotional distress and pain.
“Those feelings, coupled with the fame of Lee and the climate of the music industry at the time (in which rock-n-roll star like Lee thrived and gained even further celebrity from salacious and hedonistic conduct) led her to believe that nothing would come from reporting Lee and Martz’s conduct to local police authorities,” the lawsuit reads.
The woman suggests she is not the only alleged victim and believes Lee and Martz used the guise of a tour to “lure other women” into a situation where they could commit sexual assault. Martz was killed in a plane crash in August 2015.
She is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.
NME has reached out to the band’s representatives for comment.
Meanwhile, Lee shared his shock after paying £132 for four packs of cigarettes in Australia while on tour with Mötley Crüe.
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Emma Wilkes
NME