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Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman during a helicopter ride from San Diego to Los Angeles in 2003, according to a new lawsuit.
The civil lawsuit, which was filed Friday and obtained by Rolling Stone, accuses Lee and his former private pilot, David Martz, of luring the woman onto the helicopter to be sexually assaulted.
The woman, who is only identified as Jane Doe, said Lee forcibly groped, kissed and penetrated her with his fingers. She claimed Lee, 61, also attempted “to force her to perform oral copulation.”
Jane Doe is suing Lee, as well as Mayhem Touring, A Natural High Helicopters and Social Helicopters, who are all named as defendants.
She is seeking unspecified damages for “sexual assault, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence.”
Martz, who died in a 2015 plane crash, is not a defendant in the lawsuit.
Lee has not commented publicly on the allegations against him. Mayhem Touring, A Natural High Helicopters and Social Helicopters have also remained silent.
The woman claimed the sexual assault is likely one of many unlawful acts carried out by Martz and Lee. In the lawsuit, Jane Doe said she believes the pair “had a history of engaging in indecent and illegal conduct on Martz’s helicopter.”
According to the lawsuit, Jane Doe met Martz while she was working as a bank teller. After the pair became friends, the woman said Martz would on occasion offer to fly her in his helicopter.
In February 2003, she accepted Martz’s offer for what she believed would be a sightseeing trip over San Diego.
Instead, the woman claimed Martz flew her to Los Angeles with Lee also onboard. She did not know Lee prior to the flight.
The lawsuit claims Martz began mixing alcoholic drinks “within a matter of minutes of being airborne.” Jane Doe also alleges Lee and Martz used cocaine and smoked cannabis during the 40-minute flight. The woman said she did not partake in any alcohol or drugs.
Jane Doe alleged she was assaulted when Lee called her into the helicopter’s cockpit to see the view. She said she felt “immense pressure” to join the men at the front of the plane, and so she agreed.
According to the lawsuit, Martz “merely watched” the assault.
“Plaintiff was in tears, but she had nowhere to go – she was trapped with little mobility to leave the cockpit,” the lawsuit claims.
Upon landing in Los Angeles, the woman said Lee hugged her and exited the helicopter. Jane Doe and Martz flew back to San Diego.
Jane Doe said she did not report the alleged sexual assault to police in 2003 because she believed the authorities would not take her claims seriously.
Lee achieved fame as a member of the rock band Mötley Crüe but became infamous for his ’90s romance with ex-wife Pamela Anderson. He was jailed for six months in 1998 after he pleaded no contest to domestic abuse allegations filed by Anderson, who said the drummer had beaten her while she was holding their two-year-old son.
Mötley Crüe is still active, and this year completed a joint headline tour with the rock band Def Leppard.
Martz died in a Santa Barbara plane crash in 2015, though he was facing a revocation of his pilot’s licence at the time of his death. According to the L.A. Times, Martz — who had his pilot’s licence suspended three times prior to his death — engaged in a number of reckless acts while flying a plane, and lacked the medical clearances required to pilot. The third time his licence was revoked was in 2009 when Martz had oral sex with an adult film star while flying a plane.
If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or is involved in an abusive situation, please visit the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for help. They are also reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.
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