Legendary pop singer and Queens native Cyndi Lauper’s troubled son Declyn “Dex” Lauper Thornton is being sued by an ex-girlfriend for sexual assault that left her feeling “powerless and in fear” for her safety, a Manhattan Federal Court lawsuit filed on Tuesday alleges.
The harrowing assault occurred on Nov. 9, 2020, in Lauper Thornton’s Soho home. According to the lawsuit, the now 28-year-old woman alleges that Lauper Thornton pressured her into performing sexual acts and became violent when she refused.
“After the assault, that’s when I went into a panic,” the victim said. “I felt like my life was really in danger at that point.”
Lauper Thornton, 26, is the son of the spunky 80s pop icon Cyndi Lauper, who grew up in Ozone Park and is known for hits including “Time After Time” and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”; and actor David Thornton, who has appeared in the movies “John Q” and “The Notebook.”
The younger Dex Thornton is also no stranger to the law. The lawsuit comes amidst other legal issues facing the defendant, including a pending eviction case and prior arrests on theft and gun possession charges. According to the New York Post, Lauper Thornton was arrested for driving a stolen car in 2022.
In his latest legal saga, Lauper Thornton’s accuser said on the night of the alleged assault, he Cash App’ed her approximately $60 to travel by private car to his home. Once there, the pair argued over a sexual act he wanted the woman to do, according to the lawsuit.
When the plaintiff wanted to leave, Lauper Thornton took her cellphone in an attempt to get her to stay. He then held her down on his bed and forcefully tried to get her to perform a sexual act.
Though she tried squirming her way out of his grip and repeatedly told him to let her get up “because he was too strong,” she was unable to escape, the lawsuit alleges. As the altercation ensued, they both heard a pop sound from the woman’s neck and upper spine area, at which point Lauper Thornton let her go, according to the lawsuit.
“Desperate” to leave the apartment, the plaintiff took Lauper Thornton’s cell phone in an attempt to get her’s back. Eventually, they both returned each other’s phones and the defendant demanded she leave his home.
After she left, the lawsuit alleges, she returned to get her phone charger back, which she realized she forgot take with her. She knocked on his apartment door, and he returned the charger.
The woman alleges after she left, Lauper Thornton called saying he was “sorry for what he had just done to her,” court documents say.
Mark Shirian, the plaintiff’s attorney, shared his comments on the case.
“This lawsuit seeks to hold Mr. Lauper accountable for the grievous harm inflicted upon our client. Our client deserves to have her voice heard and to seek the justice she rightfully deserves.”
The woman is seeking unspecified damages for the “emotional and psychological trauma” inflicted upon her as a result of the alleged assault.
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