Rapper Nelly has been hit with a lawsuit by a woman who says that the “Hot in Herre” artist sexually assaulted her during a tour stop, and then defamed her by branding her accusations false.
In her suit, filed in King County Superior Court in Washington state on Monday, Monique Greene says that she met Nelly in October, when he performed at Aston Manor in Seattle. Greene, who was 21 at the time according to the suit, says that rapper — real name Cornell Haynes Jr. — invited her to an after-party on his tour bus, led her to his bedroom on the vehicle, then “began masturbating, closed the door and sexually assaulted Ms. Greene against her will and after Ms. Greene refused to consent. This included oral sex and penetrating her with his penis.”
After Greene yelled that she wanted to get off the bus, the suit says, she was “physically pushed out of the bus,” after which Nelly threw a $100 bill at her and said “bye bye.”
Things grew worse for Greene after the alleged assault was made pubic, the lawsuit says, when the rapper’s attorney issued a press release stating, “Nelly is the victim of a completely fabricated allegation. Our initial investigation clearly establishes the allegation is devoid of credibility and is motivated by greed and vindictiveness.”
The suit also cites a tweet posted by Nelly which stated, “Let me say that I am beyond shocked that I have been targeted with this false allegation … And I assure you, I will pursue every legal option to address this defaming claim.”
“From the time the press initially reported the sexual assault, and fed by Defendant Nelly’s false denials, claims and bullying, Ms. Greene became the subject of horrific online attacks,” the suit states.
Greene ultimately asked police to halt its investigation, the lawsuit states, because she “felt that she could not stand up against a celebrity and that the criminal system would fail her.”
“The press releases and Twitter statements issued by Defendant Nelly and his agent were libelous, slanderous and defamatory,” the suit reads.
Nelly’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, vowed to countersue Greene in a statement provided to TheWrap.
“It comes as no surprise that Ms. Greene filed a lawsuit against Nelly seeking money after we announced our intention to hold her accountable,” Rosenblum said. “We always believed her accusation was motivated by greed. Nelly will answer and proceed with a counter suit against her for her outrageous unfounded allegations.”
Greene’s suit seeks unspecified damages.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.