Rapper N.O.R.E. sued for s3xual assault by fellow rapper Nas’ baby mama Carmen Bryan

Carmen Bryan has accused rapper N.O.R.E., whose real name is Victor Santiago, of s3xually assaulting her at a New York City nightclub in the 1990s, according to a lawsuit.

Bryan alleges that Santiago approached her while “visibly intoxicated” and, in front of her friends, “committed an act of nonconsensual digital penetration.”

According to the complaint, Bryan pleaded with him to stop, but he allegedly “physically overpowered” her until other clubgoers intervened and pulled him away. Bryan claims she left the club crying, but Santiago followed her outside and allegedly said, “Don’t you know who I am?”

She alleges that after recognising her under the streetlights, he told her: “Carm, I didn’t know it was you. You’re always doing something different with your hair.” Bryan also claims Santiago attempted to apologise several weeks later at a joint Father’s Day gathering and birthday party for her daughter Destiny, whom she shares with rapper Nas.

The lawsuit, first reported by Rolling Stone, also states that Bryan later confided in Jay-Z about the alleged assault. Bryan claims Jay-Z was “protective” of her because, according to her account, they had been involved in a secret on-and-off relationship for several years. She alleges that Jay-Z “reacted strongly and threatened to confront Santiago personally,” but that she asked him not to do so.

Bryan said she remained publicly silent about the alleged incident for years but was encouraged to come forward after Cassie Ventura filed a lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs containing assault allegations. “Learning of that filing triggered Ms. Bryan’s own traumatic memories of Santiago’s assault,” the lawsuit states. Bryan claims the alleged attack had a particularly severe impact because it occurred publicly.

“It was not only the physical violation. It was being grabbed, overpowered, and s3xually humiliated in front of friends and strangers, in the orbit of an industry where women were often expected to absorb male misconduct in silence,” the complaint states. Bryan also alleges that she attempted to resolve the matter privately with Santiago in March, but that he denied the allegations.

According to the complaint, Bryan is seeking compensatory damages as well as damages for emotional distress and mental anguish. The allegations against Santiago are contained in a civil lawsuit and have not been established by a court