Editing Axl Rose (section)

===Rape charge & assault allegations===
Rose and Slash were charged with felony [[statutory rape]] in 1985 after Rose allegedly had sex with 15-year-old Michelle Rhoades.<ref>{{cite web |title=How Axl Rose Avoided Statutory Rape Charge From a 15-Year-Old Girl |author= |work=Ultimate Guitar |date=January 5, 2017 |access-date=September 3, 2021 |url= https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/how_axl_rose_avoided_statutory_rape_charge_from_a_15-year-old_girl.html |quote=}}</ref><ref name="RSMich"/> They argued and the girl left the house while she was still naked.<ref name="medi_Insi"/> Slash wrote in his book about an unnamed woman that "had sex with Axl up in the loft", then "freaked out intensely" and he tried to get her to leave.<ref name="RSMich"/> The band kept a low profile and Rose and Slash went into hiding for several months to avoid the police, Slash stated "The truth was Axl definitely had sex with the girl but it been consensual and no one had raped her."<ref name="RSMich"/> Rose recalled the events, stating "This hippy chick wandered in and started fucking with our equipment trying to break stuff. So eventually she wound up running down Sunset naked, all dingy, and didn't even know her own name."<ref name="medi_Insi"/> The charges against them were dropped due to lack of evidence.<ref name="medi_Insi">{{cite book |last=Wall|first=Mick|author-link=Mick Wall|date=2016 |title= Last of the Giants: The True Story of Guns N' Roses|asin=B01ERWBODS|publisher=Trapeze  |pages= 34–35}}</ref>

In 2024, Rhoades came forward with more details, claiming that she was in a relationship with Rose when he was 23 and she was 15 and miscarried their child, and when going to discuss this with him caught him sleeping with another woman in an outhouse outside the studio.<ref name="RSMich">{{cite news |last=Millman |first=Ethan |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/axl-rose-sexual-assault-allegation-1235068931/ |title=Woman Details Decades-Old Sexual Assault Allegations Against Axl Rose |work=Rolling Stone |date=July 26, 2024 |access-date=May 20, 2025 }}</ref> Rhoades claimed that when returning to the studio to get her purse, Rose ripped off her dress and a roadie stole it.<ref name="RSMich"/> She claims Rose then proceeded to tie her in bondage and allowed others to assault her sexually then proceeded to rape her before she left completely nude.<ref name="RSMich"/> Her mother's boyfriend, who ran a nearby studio, confirmed in 2019 that he picked her up, got her dressed, and took her back to her mother's house afterwards.<ref name="RSMich"/> Rhoades claimed that despite telling her mother's boyfriend not to tell anyone, she discovered what happened and called the police.<ref name="RSMich"/> According to Rhoades, [[Duff McKagan]] and several other members of the band begged her to drop the charges, with McKagan allegedly saying "we know there's something wrong with him and we promise he'll get mental health and that he's not going to hurt any more girls."<ref name="RSMich"/> Rhoades decided not to pursue the charges after dealing with mental anguish related to the incident and claiming Rose "profusely apologized" to her.<ref name="RSMich"/>

After separating in 1993, Rose sued Stephanie Seymour, claiming she had assaulted him at a 1992 Christmas Party.<ref>{{cite web |title=THE BLOOM IS OFF THE ROSE |author=<!--Not stated--> |work=The Buffalo News |date=September 1, 1993 |access-date=September 3, 2021 |url= https://buffalonews.com/news/the-bloom-is-off-the-rose/article_a44fb94b-a240-5fff-8c1f-bb20f1829a93.html |quote=}}</ref> Seymour filed a counter-suit claiming assault and battery by Rose.<ref>{{cite web |title=AXL ROSE, SEYMOUR ADD ASSAULT CHARGES TO ONGOING DISPUTE |author= |work=Greensboro News and Record |date=November 11, 1993 |access-date=September 3, 2021 |url= https://greensboro.com/axl-rose-seymour-add-assault-charges-to-ongoing-dispute/article_0b43b58d-8a3b-5438-a238-631396bc21ff.html |quote=}}</ref> Both lawsuits were eventually settled out of court.<ref>{{cite web |title=Stephanie Seymour's love life: Tragic tale of failed marriages, Axl Rose assault and divorce with Peter Brant |author= |work=MEAWW |date=January 19, 2021 |access-date=September 3, 2021 |url= https://meaww.com/stephanie-seymour-love-life-axl-rose-peter-brant-tommy-andrews-son-harry-brant-dead |quote=}}</ref> In 1994, Rose's ex-wife Erin Everly filed a suit accusing Rose of physical and emotional [[Domestic violence|abuse]] throughout their relationship.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-08-me-31419-story.html|title=Ex-Wife Sues Axl Rose, Alleging Years of Abuse|date=March 8, 1994|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> The lawsuit was also settled out of court.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/1999/07/appetite-for-self-destruction-axl-rose/|title=Appetite for Self-Destruction|last=Spitz|first=Marc|date=July 1, 1999|website=Spin}}</ref>

On November 22, 2023, Rose was sued by former ''[[Penthouse (magazine)|Penthouse]]'' Pet, model, and actress [[Sheila Kennedy]], who claimed he sexually assaulted her in his hotel room after meeting him in a New York nightclub in 1989.<ref>{{cite news |last=Butterfield |first=Michelle |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/10110873/axl-rose-sexual-assault-lawsuit-sheila-kennedy/ |title=Axl Rose accused of ‘violent’ sexual assault by former Penthouse model |work=Global News |date=November 23, 2023 }}</ref> The suit was filed in New York under the [[Adult Survivors Act]], state legislation which gives sexual assault victims the ability to sue their alleged abusers even if the statute of limitations has expired, just two days before the filing period closed.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ushe |first=Naledi |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2023/11/22/axl-rose-lawsuit-sheila-kennedy-sexual-assault-allegation/71678800007/ |title=Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses accused of 1989 sexual assault in lawsuit by former model |work=USA Today |date=November 22, 2023 }}</ref> Kennedy previously mentioned being assaulted by Rose in her 2016 memoir ''No One's Pet'' and in the 2021 documentary ''[[Look Away (2021 film)|Look Away]]'', which covered women who claimed to be sexually abused in the music industry.<ref>{{cite news |last=Feay |first=Suzi |url=https://www.ft.com/content/6c7d2c07-b41b-4474-8913-cc734b26e05b |title=Look Away examines sexual abuse in the music business |work=[[Financial Times]] |date=September 10, 2021 |access-date=May 20, 2025 }}</ref> Rose's attorney said the claim is "fictional" and that Rose has no recollection of ever meeting or spending time with Kennedy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/guns-roses-singer-axl-rose-accused-alleged-1989/story?id=105109739|title=Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose accused of alleged 1989 sexual assault by former model|author=Lances, Jill; Blackwelder, Carson; and Bernabe, Angeline Jane|website=ABC News|date=November 22, 2023}}</ref> On February 21, 2024, Rose and his legal team filed to dismiss the lawsuit.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/axl-rose-files-to-dismiss-lawsuit-against-him-alleged-1989-sexual-assault-8606117|title=Axl Rose Files to Dismiss Lawsuit from Former Model Who Sued Him for Alleged 1989 Sexual Assault|website=People.com}}</ref> The lawsuit was privately settled with prejudice in December 2024, with Rose stating "As I have said from the beginning, I deny the allegations. There was no assault.<ref>{{cite news |last=Green |first=Walden |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/guns-n-roses-axl-rose-settles-lawsuit-over-sexual-assault-allegations/ |title=Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose Settles Lawsuit Over Sexual Assault Allegations |work=Pitchfork |date=December 4, 2024 |access-date=May 20, 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Del Rosario |first=Alexandra |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2024-12-05/axl-rose-sexual-assault-lawsuit-settlement |title=Axl Rose settles sexual assault lawsuit, doubles down on defense: ‘There was no assault’ |work=Los Angeles TImes |date=December 5, 2024 }}</ref>