T.I. and Wife Tiny Harris Seek Dismissal of 2005 Sexual Assault Case Filed by Air Force Veteran

The rapper and singer filed a motion last month to dismiss the sexual assault lawsuit “in its entirety," noting that the statute of limitations on the Jane Doe's claims has expired

Rapper T.I. and Tameka 'Tiny' Cottle-Harris attend the VH1 Big In 2015 with Entertainment Weekly Awards at Pacific Design Center on November 15, 2015 in West Hollywood, California.
Rapper T.I. and Tameka 'Tiny' Cottle-Harris attend the VH1 Big In 2015 with Entertainment Weekly Awards at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 15, 2015 in West Hollywood, California. Photo:

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

  • T.I. and his wife, Tiny Harris, have filed a motion to dismiss a sexual assault lawsuit filed in January from a Jane Doe
  • The couple is seeking to dismiss the lawsuit “in its entirety, with prejudice” on grounds that the statute of limitations on Doe’s “time-barred” claims has expired
  • Doe, an Air Force veteran, alleges that the incident took place in a hotel room in 2005 after meeting the couple at a club in Los Angeles

T.I. and his wife, Tiny Harris, are seeking a dismissal of the sexual assault lawsuit that a Jane Doe plaintiff filed against them in January.

Per a complaint previously obtained by PEOPLE, Doe — also an Air Force veteran — claimed that after meeting the couple at a Los Angeles club in 2005, they drugged her, took her back to their hotel room and then raped her.

According to documents obtained by PEOPLE on Thursday, June 27, a motion was then filed by rapper (real name Clifford Harris), 43, and R&B singer (real name Tameka Harris), 48, asking a federal judge in California to dismiss the case “in its entirety, with prejudice” on grounds that the statute of limitations on Doe’s “time-barred” claims has expired. 

The defendants’ filing also claims that Doe’s lawsuit “fails to allege facts to sufficiently establish any of the claims alleged in the Complaint.”

"Here, at best, Plaintiff had up to December 31, 2007, to file the instant lawsuit based on the facts alleged in the Complaint," the motion reads. "As such, this instant lawsuit, filed over sixteen years past that statutory deadline – 18 years after the facts alleged in the Complaint occurred is time-barred, along with all the claims asserted in the Complaint."

The filing also alleges "there are no facts whatsoever that could redeem or revive any actionable claims by Plaintiff against Defendants based on the 2005 encounter alleged in the Complaint."

Representatives for T.I. and Tiny did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's requests for comment.

T.I. and Tameka "Tiny" Harris attend "Tiny" Tameka Harris Celebrity Birthday Affair >> at Scales 925 Restaurant on July 14, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia
T.I. and Tameka "Tiny" Harris attend the latter's Celebrity Birthday Affair at Scales 925 Restaurant on July 14, 2015 in Atlanta.

Prince Williams/WireImage

In Doe’s lawsuit filed on Tuesday, Jan. 2 under California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act — which extends the statutes of limitations for sex abuse and assault victims to December 2026 — she claimed that she “did not consent to any of the sexual assault or misconduct” endured during the alleged 2005 encounter with T.I. and Tiny. 

The filing stated that, at the time, Doe was in her early 20s and serving in the U.S. Air Force when she met the couple while stationed in L.A. She claimed that she was introduced to the rapper and singer in the VIP section of a club by a man named Caviar. While there, Doe alleged that Tiny gave her a drink and then brought her back to a hotel room with T.I. and two other women. 

After the women left, Doe claimed Tiny took her clothing, leaving her feeling “extremely shocked and uncomfortable” after the couple joined her in the shower. Afterward, Doe alleged she was “signaled” to get into bed with T.I. and felt “extremely dizzy and lightheaded” while doing so, leading her to believe she had been drugged.

At one point, according to the court complaint, Tiny allegedly straddled Doe on her back, “pinning” her down, and T.I. allegedly “proceeded to slide his toes into [Doe’s] vagina.” The lawsuit then claimed that Doe told the "What You Know" rapper “No” and tried to move him “out of her and away from her.”

The filing also claimed that during the alleged assault, while T.I. left to retrieve a condom, Tiny continued to “arouse herself by grinding on [Doe] and massaging her backside,” which led Doe to throw up as she “grew increasingly sicker and felt extremely ill by the assault and battery she was experiencing.”

The next day, Doe, having passed out on the couch “naked, dazed, sickened and weak,” alleged that she awoke with her vagina “in serious pain,” claiming that she felt “an itching and burning sensation.”

Clifford T.I. Harris and Tiny Harris attend "Fear" World Premiere at Directors Guild Of America on January 21, 2023 in Los Angeles, California
T.I. and Tiny Harris attend "Fear" World Premiere at Directors Guild Of America on January 21, 2023 in Los Angeles.

Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Hidden Empire Film Group

Doe is seeking unspecified damages for sexual battery, battery, sexual assault, negligence, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress from the alleged 2005 assault, as she claimed it has prevented her from “performing daily activities and obtaining the full enjoyment of life.”

T.I. and Tiny denied any wrongdoing in a joint statement obtained by PEOPLE in January that read: “On the heels of positivity, negativity always rears its ugly head. This plaintiff has been threatening to file this lawsuit for THREE years. For THREE years, we have emphatically and categorically denied these allegations.”

They continued, "For THREE years we have maintained our innocence and refused to pay these extortionate demands for things we didn’t do. For THREE years, we’ve maintained the same position while the claims in this story have changed time and time again. Our position is clear... We are innocent of these fake claims, we will not be shaken down, and we look forward to our day in court.”

A hearing on T.I. and Tiny's dismissal request is set for Wednesday, Aug. 7 in Los Angeles.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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