Former porn actor Ron Jeremy has been in a California mental health hospital since February after a judge ruled him incompetent to stand trial for sexually assaulting 21 women. Now, two of his accusers are seeking a different path to justice by suing a West Hollywood venue they claim was complicit in an alleged pattern of attacks.
The pair of plaintiffs, identified as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, have filed suit against Rockin’ Horse Inc., owners of the Rainbow Bar & Grill, a Sunset Strip landmark frequented by Jeremy for many years, alleging the bar’s “negligence in maintaining a safe environment for their female patrons.” The business, the suit further claims, “intentionally created a dangerous, sexualized, and hostile environment” for women customers, and even gave Jeremy permission “to use the employee’s restroom to sexually assault female patrons.” The suit refers to this room as Jeremy’s “dungeon.” (The Rainbow Room did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)
The accusers’ case dates back to March 17, 2017, when they say that Jeremy sexually assaulted them both at Rainbow Bar, at a time when the venue’s management was “aware of multiple other sexual assaults” by Jeremy on the property but “continued to facilitate and ratify his illegal behavior.” According to their account, Jeremy put a hand down each of their pants without consent as they drank at the bar, and, upon learning they needed the restroom, offered to escort them to a private one to avoid a long line at the ladies’ room. They claim he directed them through an employee-only kitchen area where staff did not react to their presence, before following them into the private bathroom, where he assaulted them further.
Also contained in the filing are details from Rainbow Bar’s Yelp page, which includes dozens of reviews mentioning Jeremy as a regular and photos of him posing with female patrons. The suit mentions how another woman previously testified to a grand jury that Jeremy had raped her in a Rainbow Bar bathroom, while others testified that he had given them drugged drinks there prior to assaulting them — in one case, with the alleged complicity of a bartender from whom he ordered “the Ron Jeremy special.”
Ultimately, the plaintiffs conclude, Rainbow Bar’s owners and employees “failed in their duty to protect their patrons from injury at the hands of fellow guests.” They are seeking damages encompassing pain and suffering as well as medical expenses as well as other financial losses.
In a statement shared with Rolling Stone, Nadine Khedry, one of the attorneys who filed the complaint, said that Rainbow Bar had long “leaned into [Jeremy’s] patronage as a gimmick to attract customers,” arguing that the owners had fostered a “playground” in which he preyed on women, “all while turning a blind eye.” Added Michelle Nabati, the second attorney representing the plaintiffs in the suit: “This was clearly not an isolated incident, but a pattern of abuse that Rainbow Bar & Grill permitted at the expense of their patrons’ safety.” She encouraged “any woman who has been victimized or assaulted” by Jeremy at the establishment to “contact the police, seek help” or contact their legal firm, Panish Shea Boyle Ravipudi LLP.