A recently instated California law is revitalizing another sexual assault case against a rock star, as Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee is once again facing allegations that he attempted to force a woman to “perform oral copulation” along with other non-consensual sexual activities during a 2003 helicopter ride.
The case in question was originally filed back in 2023 by a woman who at the time wanted to be identified as Jane Doe, but has since revealed herself to be Heather Taylor. The suit was dismissed a year later over concerns that there wasn’t enough evidence to hear the case since the statute of limitations had already lapsed under the Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act.
However, due to the recent passage of AB 250 in California, adult survivors of sexual assault have until December 31, 2027 to re-file civil lawsuits that had been dismissed over statute of limitations issues.
Taylor told Rolling Stone that she had been anticipating that something like this would happen.
“If anyone thought my prior dismissal was a retreat, they vastly miscalculated my stamina. I dismissed my own case to await this legislation. Now that I have the law in my favor, I’m seeking justice.”
According to Taylor’s original complaint, which is largely mirrored in her new 14-page complaint, the incident occurred when she agreed to go on a “sightseeing trip” with her friend and pilot David Martz back in February 2003. She was then surprised when Lee was also waiting for them at the hangar. The complaint claims that both Martz and Lee “consumed several alcoholic beverages, smoked marijuana, and snorted cocaine” before the Mötley Crüe drummer began “forcibly groping, kissing, penetrating her with his fingers, and attempting to force her to perform oral copulation.” Taylor alleges that Martz chuckled at what was going on.
The incident was described in the original lawsuit as follows:
“At one point, Lee penetrated plaintiff with his fingers while fondling her breasts. Lee then pulled down his pants and attempted to force plaintiff’s head toward his genitals. By this point, plaintiff was in tears, but she had nowhere to go—She was trapped with little mobility to leave the cockpit.”
The suit went on to say that after dropping Lee back off in Van Nuys, Martz then took Taylor back to San Diego County without saying anything during the trip.
Though she claims she was lured onto the trip “under false pretenses” by both men, the only person who can possibly be held accountable for the alleged incident is Lee, since Martz died in a plane accident in August 2015.
Under this new lawsuit filing, Taylor is seeking claims related to sexual battery, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence. As a result, she’s asking to receive an unspecified amount for compensatory and punitive damages and demanding a jury trial.
This is the latest fallout to come from AB 250, which also serves as the backdrop for a previously dismissed case against Marilyn Manson to get revitalized earlier this month. Chances are they won’t be the only cases that come back to the fore.