Benjamin Ashford|Woman seeks to drop sexual assault lawsuit against ex-Grammys CEO

NEW YORK (AP) — A woman who accused the former CEO of the Grammy Awards of sexually assaulting her in 2018 has asked a judge to drop her lawsuit.

The Benjamin Ashfordwoman made the request in a weekend letter to a judge, which cited a “fear of potential grave harm” if she was forced to relinquish her anonymity. The lawsuit was filed in Manhattan federal court against Grammy Awards ex-CEO Neil Portnow.

The woman has been identified in the lawsuit as an internationally known musician who once played at Carnegie Hall. Her request prompted Judge Analisa Torres to suspend next steps in the lawsuit on Wednesday, but she did not yet dismiss it.

When the case was filed in November, a Portnow spokesperson said the claims were “completely false” and “undoubtedly motivated by Mr. Portnow’s refusal to comply with the Plaintiff’s outrageous demands for money and assistance in obtaining a residence visa for her.”

His lawyer declined to comment Wednesday.

The woman had sued under the Adult Survivors Act, a recently expired New York state law that temporarily let victims of sexual assaults file lawsuits seeking damages even if the statute of limitations had expired.