Gene Simmons has settled a lawsuit filed by a female journalist who alleged the KISS rocker sexually harassed her during an interview.
As TMZ reported, the unidentified woman — she filed the suit under the name Jane Doe — alleged that she interviewed Simmons in November 2017 at the opening of a new Rock & Brews restaurant (Simmons and band mate Paul Stanley are among the owners of the restaurant chain) in San Bernardino, California.
According to the suit’s allegations, while she spoke with Simmons, he reached over to her, grasped her hand and forcibly placed it on his knee. This, she claimed, made her feel uncomfortable.
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However, the court documents allege that she soldiered on and continued the interview, with Simmons then taking her hand and commenting on its softness, suggesting she should use some lotion. Then, Simmons allegedly reached over and flicked her throat.
It was at this point that she says she attempted to stop the interview, but Simmons insisted on continuing. After the interview ended, she, Simmons and other attendees at the event posed for a photo — at which point she alleged that Simmons grabbed her butt while the photo was taken.
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Simmons denied the allegations in the lawsuit. “Friends, I intend to defend myself against any alleged charges you may have been reading about in the media,” said Simmons in a statement to ET Canada in December 2017.
“For the record, I did not assault the person making these accusations in the manner alleged in the complaint or harm her in any way,” he added.
“I am conferring with my lawyers with the aim of vigorously countering these allegations,” his statement concluded. “And, I look forward to my day in court where the evidence will prove my innocence.”
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, there will be no “day in court,” as Simmons has instead settled the suit out of court.
“The terms of the settlement are unclear,” reports The Blast, “but the judge in the case said they now need to file a request for dismissal to officially dismiss the case.”
