UW Student Sues Rapper Nelly For Sex Assault, Defamation

BELLEVUE, WA - A Bellevue woman is suing rapper Nelly for sex assault and defamation, according to the victim's attorney. Monique Greene, 22, alleges that Nelly raped her aboard his tour bus in a Walmart parking lot in Auburn on Oct. 6.

Last week, the King County Prosecutor's Office said that it would not pursue criminal rape charges against Nelly, whose birth name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., because Greene was refusing to testify.

Through an attorney, Nelly told the celebrity gossip site TMZ that he's innocent and plans to counter-sue Greene for defamation.

The rape allegedly occurred after Greene and Nelly met at the Sodo club Aston Manor. Greene works at the club, according to the lawsuit, but was not working the night she encountered Nelly. Near 2:30 a.m., Green and a friend went with with Nelly and others to the tour bus in Auburn, according to the suit.

Greene's friend left, and Greene went into the bedroom portion of the bus with Nelly, the suit says. That's when Nelly began masturbating in front of Greene, the suit alleges, and then he later forced her to have sex. Nelly allegedly offered Greene $2,500 to stay with him for the weekend. She declined and was soon kicked off the bus, the suit claims.

"Ms. Greene was physically pushed out of the bus and Nelly threw a $100 bill at her then closed the bus door and said 'bye bye.' He taunted her from the bus window as she stood alone in the Walmart parking lot," the suit claims.

Auburn police arrested Nelly after the incident, but Greene eventually told police and prosecutors that she didn't want to proceed with the matter.

"She felt that she could not stand up against a celebrity and that the criminal system would fail her," the suit says

Caption: In this March 13, 2015, file photo, rapper Nelly approaches the stage for a concert in Irbil, northern Iraq. Police have arrested Nelly after a woman said he raped her in a town outside Seattle, an accusation the Grammy winner's attorney staunchly denies. Auburn police spokesman Commander Steve Stocker said officers arrested Nelly early Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, morning in his tour bus at a Walmart.

Photo by Seivan M. Salim/Associated Press