What is the Adult Survivors Act? Jamie Foxx assault allegations explored amid expiry of special legislation

A woman filed a lawsuit against Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx in a New York Court on November 22, 2023, just a couple of days before the expiry of New York’s Adult Survivors Act.

Trigger warning: This article mentions s*xual abuse/ assault. Readers’ discretion is advised.

According to Insider, the law allowed adult victims of past s*xual abuse to file a civil suit and seek damages regardless of the statute of limitations.

Jamie Foxx’s accuser is an unidentified woman who alleged that the actor-comedian s*xually assaulted her at a Manhattan bar in August 2015, when she reportedly requested him for a photograph.

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Jamie Foxx is being sued as part of the Adult Survivors Act

Ray actor Jamie Foxx is currently being sued under New York’s Adult Survivors Act (ASA). It was legally enacted in May 2022 by Governor Kathy Hochul and amended state law to permit alleged victims of s*xual misconduct for which the statute of limitations has long lapsed to file civil lawsuits for a one-year period. It was scheduled from November 24, 2022, to November 24, 2023.

So far, more than 2,500 lawsuits have been filed under the Adult Survivors Act as reported by The Guardian, and it has even helped alleged victims sue high-profile celebrities like Russell Brand, Donald Trump, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Bill Cosby, and now Jamie Foxx.

The Act even saw historically large settlements such as $5 million paid by former President Trump to writer E Jean Carroll who accused him of molestation and a defamation case dating back 27 years.

Likewise, last week, record label mogul Diddy settled an undisclosed amount to singer Cassie, who accused him of decade-long physical, psychological, and mental abuse, domestic violence, s*xual slavery, trafficking, r*pe, and more.

English actress Julia Ormond also filed a s*xual battery lawsuit against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein dating back to 1995. Similarly, Safe Horizon’s Drew Dixon also sued Grammy-winning music executive Antonio “LA” Reid earlier this month, accusing him of two-time s*xual assault dating back to 2001. Both cases are pending settlements/trials.

For those uninitiated, the ASA was based on New York’s 2019 Child Victims Act, which initially suspended the statute of limitations and later extended it for a two-year period during the Covid-19 pandemic. It saw over 11,000 lawsuits until it expired in August 2022.

Besides individuals, women have also sued hospitals, prisons, and organizations under the ASA. As per the New York Post, even if the ASA is expiring, the state’s Gender Motivated Violence Act will allow victims of s*xual abuse to file lawsuits until March 2025, despite their claims being barred by the statute of limitations.

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Exploring, in brief, the allegations against Jamie Foxx

A woman identified as Jane Doe accused that in August 2015, she and her friend were hanging out at a rooftop bar in Manhattan called Catch NYC & Roof. There she came across Jamie Foxx and the owner of the place, Mark Birnbaum, around 1 am seated at the next table and asked the actor for a photograph.

As per the lawsuit details obtained by Insider, this is when drunk Foxx allegedly responded by saying:

“Sure baby, anything for you.”

However, instead of just posing for a picture, the actor reportedly took the alleged victim to a secluded corner and groped her (by reportedly rubbing her breasts and g*nitals) until the alleged victim’s friend found and rescued her.

A netizen reports Foxx's suing. (Image via X/movienumberfact)

According to Variety, the plaintiff claimed that Foxx complimented her “supermodel body” and even said that she smelled good. He also allegedly said that the victim looked like Gabrielle Union.

The suit stated that after being s*xually assaulted by Jamie Foxx, the woman was “rendered sick, sore, lame, and disabled,” and had to undergo medical treatment. She demanded compensation for pain, suffering, emotional distress, anxiety, and humiliation and accused the bar’s owner and employees of not intervening.

An X user reports that Foxx has been sued for s*xual misconduct. (Image via X/DaCultureVault)

The s*xual assault and battery suit also alleged that the incident took place when Jamie Foxx was romantically involved with actress Katie Holmes, with whom he later split in 2019.

So far, neither party issued any public statements. Meanwhile, the suit (dated Monday, but e-filed in the New York State Court on Wednesday) was filed just two days before the deadline for New York’s Adult Survivors Act.