Rapper T.I. and his wife, Tiny Harris, are seeking to have a sexual assault lawsuit dismissed, arguing that the statute of limitations has expired.
According to a complaint obtained by PEOPLE, an Air Force veteran alleges that she was drugged and raped by the couple after meeting them at a Los Angeles club in 2005. The woman filed the lawsuit in January under California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act, claiming that she did not consent to any of the sexual acts that occurred.
On Thursday, T.I. and Tiny filed a motion requesting a judge to dismiss the case “in its entirety, with prejudice.” They argue that the statute of limitations for the woman’s claims expired years ago and that her lawsuit “fails to allege facts to sufficiently establish any of the claims alleged in the Complaint.”
“Plaintiff had up to December 31, 2007, to file the lawsuit based on the facts alleged,” the couple stated in their motion. “This lawsuit, filed over sixteen years past that statutory deadline – 18 years after the alleged events – is time-barred, along with all the claims asserted.”
They further asserted that “there are no facts whatsoever that could redeem or revive any actionable claims by Plaintiff against Defendants based on the 2005 encounter.”
In her lawsuit, the woman, who was in her 20s and stationed in L.A. at the time, claims she met T.I. and Tiny at a club where a man named Caviar introduced her to them in the VIP section. She alleges that Tiny gave her a drink before taking her and two other women to a hotel room with T.I.
Once alone with the couple, the woman claims she felt dizzy and light-headed. She alleges that Tiny pinned her down while T.I. put his toes in her vagina, and that Tiny aroused herself by grinding and massaging the woman’s backside. She also claims to have vomited and felt extremely ill during the assault.
The woman seeks unspecified damages for sexual battery, battery, sexual assault, negligence, false imprisonment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. T.I. and Tiny have denied all allegations.
“On the heels of positivity, negativity always rears its ugly head. This plaintiff has been threatening to file this lawsuit for THREE years. We have emphatically and categorically denied these allegations,” the couple said in a statement. “We have maintained our innocence and refused to pay these extortionate demands for things we didn’t do. We are innocent of these fake claims, we will not be shaken down, and we look forward to our day in court.”
