A California woman has revived her 2023 sexual abuse lawsuit against Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee citing a new California law that has opened a “two-year lookback window.”
If this sounds familiar, earlier this month former Marilyn Manson assistant Ashley Walters revived her previous sexual assault lawsuit against Manson that had previously been dismissed due to the statue of limitations using the same, newly added law that took effect on Jan. 1.
What Does the Refiling of the Lawsuit Against Tommy Lee Mean?
Per Rolling Stone, the plaintiff, now identifying herself as Heather Taylor, has used California Assembly Bill 250 to revive the case against Tommy Lee.
“If anyone thought my prior dismissal was a retreat, they vastly miscalculated my stamina,” Taylor tells Rolling Stone. “I dismissed my own case to await this legislation. Now that I have the law in my favor, I’m seeking justice.”
The new 14-page complaint largely repeats the same accusations against the drummer. Taylor kept quiet about her alleged traumatic experience for years, but in 2022 when California lawmakers passed the Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Act that offered a limited window of time to challenge certain sexual abuse claims, she decided to file her case.
While the initial dismissal came because she was asked to show that a business entity was legally responsible for the damages, the new AB 250 law does not require her to name an entity or prove that there was a cover-up perpetrated in relation to the assault.
The suit now includes claims of sexual battery, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence. Taylor is seeking unspecified damages to be determined by a jury trial. Lee’s legal representation did not respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.
What Was the Initial Suit Against Tommy Lee About?
In December 2023, a woman only identified as “Jane Doe” at the time, filed suit against the Motley Crue drummer alleging that he had sexually assaulted her during a 2003 helicopter ride. In her account, she stated that the drummer had lured her to his personal helicopter under false pretenses and then assaulted her by “forcibly groping, kissing and penetrating her with his fingers and attempting to force her to perform oral copulation.”
READ MORE: What Tommy Lee Thought of His Previous Experience as a Male Escort
In the suit, she stated that she had met Lee’s pilot, David Martz, while she was working at a San Diego bank as a teller. Martz invited her on a helicopter ride, but she alleges that when she accepted, he made an unexpected stop to pick up Lee. She shared in her account that Martz had asked her to move from the back of the helicopter to Lee’s lap to get a better view at which point the alleged assault took place according to her account.
What Happened With the Original Lawsuit?
In May 2024, a California judge dismissed the lawsuit against Lee while giving the plaintiff the time to amend her suit after it was determined that the originally filed suit did not meet the legal act under which it was filed.
The initial complaint was filed under the Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, but filings under the act must show that some type of “legal entity” was engaged in a cooperative effort to hide evidence of the sexual assault.
Per Rolling Stone, the woman eventually filed a request to dismiss her lawsuit without prejudice, meaning that she left open the right to refile at a later time.
“This dismissal is a complete vindication for Tommy Lee,” the rocker’s lawyer Sasha Frid said at the time in a statement to Rolling Stone. “He has maintained from the very beginning that these allegations were bogus and false. The plaintiff voluntarily dismissed her claims. This dismissal was not subject to any settlement.”
While the outcome of the lawsuit against Lee has still yet to play out, revisit other rock and metal legal battles in the gallery below.
12 Infamous Rock + Metal Legal Battles
Queue “Winners and Losers” by Social Distortion.
Gallery Credit: Taylor Linzinmeir
