Sir Elton John has been sued by Los Angeles police captain Jeffrey Wenninger for sexual harassment. In the lawsuit filed on March 28, Wenninger claims that he was repeatedly groped by the “Crocodile Rock” crooner while working off-duty as his bodyguard in September 2014.
John is standing strong and fighting his former employee’s accusations. Orin Snyder, an attorney for the Grammy winner’s Rocket Entertainment Group, released a statement on Tuesday denying the allegations against the musician.
“This baseless lawsuit is brought by a disgruntled former security officer seeking to extract an undeserved payment,” Snyder’s statement (via the Associated Press) reads. “These claims are patently untrue and contradicted by numerous previous statements made by this plaintiff.”
Wenninger, who stopped working for John in 2014, alleges that the singer touched him inappropriately on multiple occasions. According to the suit, the superstar reached for and felt Wenninger’s privates during a ride to the airport in 2014. The retired officer claims that almost two weeks after that, the iconic British musician committed more sexual offenses against him, according to US Weekly.
“The unwelcome touching of plaintiff by (John) occurred on many other occasions over the span of several years since plaintiff began his employment in 2002, escalating in frequency and intensity after 2010,” the lawsuit states. “At no time did plaintiff consent to defendant Elton John touching him in this offensive manner, or in any other manner.”
According to Wenninger, who was awarded the LAPD’s Medal of Valour, he was effectively fired from John’s security detail because he had reported a fellow officer for overtime theft. Marla Brown, a lawyer acting for the officer, refused to address why her client would be seeking work after the alleged incidents occurred, according to the Guardian.
The singer shrugged off his latest legal woes on holiday in Venice. His husband David Furnish and their two sons helped take his mind off things as he enjoyed a stroll in the city’s iconic Piazza San Marco.
What do you think of the claims? Sound off below in the comments section.
Elton John Responds To Sexual Harassment Charge By Jeffrey Wenninger
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