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Marcellus Wiley, husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Annemarie Wiley, has been alleged to have committed rape against a fellow student during his time in college in the 1990s.
A lawsuit filed on Tuesday, November 21, alleges that Marcellus, 48, sexually assaulted an unnamed accuser while they were both attending Columbia University in the fall of 1994, reportedly raping her multiple times in her dorm room. Marcellus denied the allegations on the November 22 episode of his Brinx TV show, Never Shut Up.
The accuser claims that while she was a freshman at the college, she and Marcellus, who was a sophomore at the time, became "friendly acquaintances" due to "traveling in the same social circles." The lawsuit also alleges that, unbeknownst to the accuser, "beginning in the fall of 1993," there had been "multiple complaints" about Marcellus from female students, all claiming that he had "sexually assaulted and/or raped them."
The lawsuit claims that the accuser informed Marcellus that she was a virgin, to which he reportedly responded, “nobody wants to have sex with a virgin!” Upon reaching her room, the 250lb defendant allegedly lifted her, pushed her face down onto the mattress, and then climbed on top of her, pinning her face-down on the bed with her forearm on the back of her neck. The accuser states that she could hardly breathe and feared for her life.
In addition, the accuser is suing Columbia University, accusing them of a callous, negligent, reckless, and deceptive response to the allegations made by her and other students, causing psychological harm, financial losses, and academic damages.
The lawsuit claims that when the accuser reported the assault to university authorities, they showed favoritism towards the future NFL player, who was a star running back for the school’s football team, and dismissed the incident as a "misunderstanding."
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that the school’s residential dean at the time told the accuser that Marcellus did not assault her because she “was not from America and therefore misinterpreted defendant’s conduct because ‘people from different cultures interpret things differently.’”
The lawsuit alleges that despite promises from Columbia administrators to suspend Marcellus, he was instead placed on "academic probation" and sent home for "poor grades" in the spring of 1995 without any mention of the sexual assault on his record and without involving law enforcement. The lawsuit was filed under New York's Adult Survivors Act, which allowed for a one-year window for sexual assault plaintiffs to file civil claims, regardless of the statute of limitations, with the window set to close on Thursday.
Marcellus addressed the woman's accusations on his Brinx TV show on Wednesday, stating that he has not been contacted by his lawyers. He admitted to engaging in intimate activities with the accuser in her dorm room in 1994 but denied having sexual intercourse with her. Marcellus claimed that the woman invited him into her room and asked him to call her the next morning. He alleged that the woman only felt regret about the encounter when she realized there was no future between them.
He emphasized the importance of speaking his truth for clarity and vowed to fight against the stereotype placed on him as a black man from Compton. Marcellus also revealed his intention to file a defamation countersuit.
After graduating from Columbia, Marcellus pursued a successful career as a defensive end for multiple NFL teams such as the Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, and Jacksonville Jaguars. Following his retirement in 2006, he transitioned to become an analyst on SportsNation for ESPN.
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Marcellus will be joining the cast of season 13 of RHOBH, which debuted in September. This season marks the first time his wife Annemarie will be a full-time cast member. The couple, who got married in June 2014, has three children together: Marcellus Jr., Aliya Jane, and Alivia Marie.
We has reached out to Bravo for comment.