Kim Fowley died eight years ago, but that will not stop The Runaways songwriter Kari Krome from filing a lawsuit against his estate for sexual assault of a minor.
According to reports, Krome, whose real name is Cari Lee Mitchell, filed the lawsuit late last year before California's Child Victims Act was set to expire;
Apparently, the late musician was not the only one included in the suit; KROQ's DJ Rodney Bingenheimer was also named.
"Plaintiff, Kari Krome [legal name: Carrie Mitchell] is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, sexual battery, assault, and molestation at the hands of Defendant Rodney Bingenheimer," the lawsuit, obtained by Variety, reads.
The songwriter alleged that she first met the then-28-year-old DJ at his club in Los Angeles when she was 13; he then began to "groom" her by inviting her to his home under a "friendly" guise-Bingenheimer was also the one who introduced Krome to Fowley.
"When Plaintiff was approximately 13 and 14 and 15 years old, Defendant Rodney Bingenheimer and Defendant Kim Fowley used their roles, status, and power as adults, as well as their connections to and work in the music industry to gain access to manipulate, exploit, and sexually assault Plaintiff in the State of California, County of Los Angeles."
Krome's lawsuit also notes that she suffered "severe emotional, physical, psychological distress" under the hands of the pair.
The Runaways
Fowley died in January 2015 due to bladder cancer. He was a producer, songwriter, and musician, but he was famous for managing The Runaways.
The Runaways was an all-female rock band that consisted of the following members: Lita Ford, Sandy West, Jackie Fox, Joan Jett, and Cherie Currie.
They were best known for their songs "Cherry Bomb," "Queens of Noise," "Hollywood," and more.
Rape Allegations
Several months after Fowley died, The Runaways bassist Jackie Fox came forward with rape allegations against the late musician.
"I remember opening my eyes, Kim Fowley was raping me, and there were people watching me," Fox said, referring to her fellow The Runaway members Currie and Jett-however, they both denied being witnesses.
Currie even addressed the accusations on social media, "All I can say is if Joan, Sandy, and I saw an unconscious girl being brutally raped in front of us, we would have hit him over the head with a chair."
Meanwhile, Jett simply said that she "was not aware of the incident" and that she "wishes [Fox] peace and healing."
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