Nelly Is Reportedly Under Investigation For Sexual Assault

According to a report from TMZ, and confirmed via E!, Nelly is under investigation for sexual assault.

Per the original TMZ report, the accusation against the "Ride Wit Me" singer, whose legal name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., stemmed from an alleged incident on December 5 that occurred following his concert at Cliffs Pavilion in Essex, England. According to the report, Nelly allegedly attempted to force a woman to perform oral sex on him backstage after he invited her and her friends to come to his dressing room.

According to TMZ, the woman stated that she was with her friends and Nelly in the dressing room when Nelly asked her to come alone to a room next door. There, the singer allegedly masturbated in front of her. He then allegedly attempted to kiss her, before pushing her head towards his erect penis. The woman alleged she left the room at that point.

TMZ states that a criminal investigation into the incident is now pending in England.

In a statement to Refinery29, Nelly's attorney Scott Rosenblum claimed the recent sexual assault accusation against Nelly is false. Rosenblum alleged that the information comes from a woman who alleged Nelly raped her in October of 2017.

"These allegations arose after [redacted] amended her suit for money to include a reference to these claims. The fact that the police are investigating these claims is not new information and Nelly welcomes a thorough investigation. Nelly is confident that once investigated, these claims will be determined to be disingenuous. Nelly was accompanied by his girlfriend during this tour and she was at his side throughout. It is important that police investigate every allegation of this nature."

In October of 2017, Nelly was arrested on charges of second degree rape after a college student claimed that the rapper had raped her while they were on his parked tour bus. In an open letter, Nelly's rape accuser stated, via her lawyer Karen Koehler, that she wanted to drop the investigation because she felt unsafe.

"She wishes she had not called 911 because she believes the system is going to fail her," a statement from Koehler read. "She never wanted notoriety. She never wanted a dime from that man. She wants to go back to school and to graduate."

Nelly, via Rosenblum, denied all charges, and in December of 2017 Rosenblum stated that Nelly would take legal action against the accuser in order to clear his name.

If you have experienced sexual violence and are in need of crisis support, please call theRAINN Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).