Gene Simmons “#MeToo movement will cause “heinous collateral damage “anybody can say anything and there’s no presumption of innocence.”

Gene Simmons has voiced his concern about the “heinous collateral damage” caused by the ongoing #MeToo movement, saying that “anybody can say anything and there’s no presumption of innocence.”

The #MeToo and Time’s Up movements were launched following the sexual misconduct scandal surrounding Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. The scandal inspired many women to come forward to accuse not only Weinstein but others in the entertainment industry and beyond.

“I think it’s wonderful for women to be engaged in the conversation and the positive side is there have been a lot of bad guys who have gotten away with it [and aren’t anymore] — that’s a good thing,” Simmons told the Toronto Sun.

“The collateral damage is heinous because anybody can say anything and there’s no presumption of innocence,” he added. That’s the problem. The problem is you don’t have your day in court.

“As soon as somebody cries and the mascara runs, the guy’s life is ruined and it’s over. He may be guilty or he may be innocent but what happened to our justice system? You’ll make more money. You’ll embarrass him every day. Instead of in a news conference which gets you no money. I’m totally in support of anything and everything that follows the rule of law. Get a lawyer. Do it legitimately.”

Gene, who is renowned for his sexual appetite and decades of consensual conquests, was himself accused on social media of behaving inappropriately around at least two women. But he shot down the allegations during an interview with BBC “Hardtalk”, saying: “All of a sudden, 44 years on in a rock band, somebody’s coming up and saying, ‘This guy is a bad guy.’ It’s not true. I think the climate is horrifically bad and yet at the same time empowering to the right women. There are some really bad guys out there; I just happen not to be one of them.”

Weinstein‘s career was brought to a halt after dozens of women in the entertainment industry — including Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie — accused him of varying degrees of sexual misconduct over the years.

A spokeswoman for Weinstein has repeatedly denied allegations “of non-consensual sex.” Weinstein has also apologized for “the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past.

Gene Simmons has denied groping and making “unwanted, unwarranted sexual advances” toward a radio and television broadcaster during a November 1 interview.

The woman, identified as “Jane Doe,” filed a lawsuit against Simmons in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday (December 15), alleging that the KISS bassist/vocalist grabbed her hand multiple times and “forcefully placed it on his knee and held it on his knee.” The accuser, identified in the documents as a “longtime on-air personality for a local rock station,” also says the 68-year-old rocker “forcibly flicked/struck” her throat when she spoke to Simmons and his bandmate Paul Stanley at their Rock & Brews restaurant at San Manuel Casino in Highland, California. In addition, she claims Simmons “reached toward [her] buttocks and touched it” while they were posing for a promotional photo together after the interview.

“My client is embarrassed and humiliated by the incident with Mr. Simmons,” the woman’s attorney, Willie W. Williams, told The San Bernardino Sun. “She filed suit because she wanted to make a strong statement that this behavior is unacceptable and she wants to see an end to this type of behavior.”

The allegations included in the suit, which can be read in full below, include sexual battery, gender violence, battery and assault.

Earlier today, Simmons released a statement refuting the woman’s allegations and vowing to prove his innocence.

“I intend to defend myself against any alleged charges you may have been reading about in the media,” Simmons said. “For the record, I did not assault the person making these accusations in the manner alleged in the complaint or harm her in any way. I am conferring with my lawyers with the aim of vigorously countering these allegations. And, I look forward to my day in court where the evidence will prove my innocence.”

Last month it was reported Simmons had been banned for life from Fox News due to lewd behavior following his appearance on November 15 on Fox News and Fox Business Network. The KISS co-founder was on hand to promote his latest book, the financial self-help guide, titled “On Power”, on both “Fox & Friends” and “Mornings With Maria”. Simmons, who during the “Fox & Friends” appearance took the opportunity to aid meteorologist Janice Dean in her weather report, and later on, spoke frankly about the various sexual misconduct scandals in Hollywood.

Simmons denied the allefations during an appearance on BBC “Hardtalk”, explaining, “Somebody there apparently had the goods in for me and called The Daily Beast or something and said whatever they said I did. I did nothing. I always had people around me. Like when I come here, I’ve got handlers and everybody sees what I’m doing. You can’t go into a public area and do anything.”

Simmons went on to talk about the pitfalls of social media at times only spotlighting one side of a story: “Nobody calls you and says, ‘Do you have a comment?’ So the story was printed, and, of course, everybody exploded. And Fox, they’re nice people — I like them a lot — closed ranks and they’re afraid of getting sued by everybody. Nothing happened. I stand by every word.”

Simmons told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the roles that men and woman play are genetically predisposed. “Until the age of 12, the female of the species far outperforms the male of the species in science, in math, and everything else — I mean, by a few grades,” he said. “As soon as puberty hits, she stops with science and math and everything else, and completely becomes dedicated to making herself attractive to the opposite sex. She takes up a new profession. The profession is? To make herself as valuable in her looks as possible, because — my assessment — that’s her meal ticket.”

https://www.scribd.com/document/367289327/Gene-Simmons-Sued-for-Sexual-Misconduct

Gene Simmons Sued for Sexual Misconduct by Sarah Batcha on Scribd