Gene Simmons Rocked by Assault Claims

KISS' fire-breathing frontman slapped with civil suit by couple who claim his inner demon came out after they tried to videotape him at a local Los Angeles mall

By Josh Grossberg Dec 28, 2009 3:41 PMTags
Gene SimmonsJohnny Nunez/WireImage.com

Maybe they were after his family jewels.

KISS' fire-breathing frontman, Gene Simmons, has been slapped with a civil suit by a couple who claim his inner demon came out after they tried to videotape him at a local Los Angeles mall.

According to media reports, Nathan Marlowe and his wife, Cynthia Manzo, accused the 60-year-old Simmons of threatening and assaulting them and then swiping their video camera after they shot footage of the bassist at the Grove mall.

Per the complaint, the pair approached Simmons and Marlowe asked whether he believed in monogamy, since he once claimed to have bedded more than 1,000 women. The rocker turned Family Jewels star allegedly went ballistic, then attacked him and grabbed the camcorder. When Manzo tried to intercede, he assaulted her, too, the suit claims.

The couple filed a police report but failed to win a restraining order last week against Simmons. They are seeking more than $25,000 in damages for assault, battery and infliction of emotional distress.

A rep for the tongue wagger was unavailable for comment.

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