Elton John has spoken out against the claim that he sexually abused one of his former bodyguards. The musician was sued by former Los Angeles Police Captain Jeffrey Wenninger, who alleged John groped him and made sexually inappropriate comments when he worked for the musician as a security guard from 2002 until 2014.
In a lawsuit filed by Wenninger Monday, the decorated ex-officer claimed that John sexually abused him on at least three separate occasions over the course of a couple of years. The 69-year-old singer flat out denied all of the allegations made against him and issued a statement through his attorney Orin Snyder.
"This baseless lawsuit is brought by a disgruntled former security officer seeking to extract an undeserved payment," Snyder said in the statement. "These claims are patently untrue and contradicted by numerous previous statements made by this plaintiff. We will not give in to his latest abuse of the legal system."
Wenninger was employed by John for 12 years and claimed in the lawsuit that John had said things like "Get your todger out" to him in March 2014. He also claimed John put his hands down his pants and grabbed his genitals and shoved his hands between his butt cheeks. On another occasion, the singer allegedly reached into Wenninger's shirt and twisted his nipples before he stuck his finger into his ear.
"You gorgeous thing, you," John allegedly told Wenninger.
"You have so many gay genes in you, they just haven't met up yet," the singer reportedly said to Wenninger on another occasion.
"The unwelcome touching of plaintiff by [John] occurred on many other occasions over the span of several years since plaintiff began his employment in 2002, escalating in frequency and intensity after 2010," the lawsuit stated. "At no time did plaintiff consent to defendant Elton John touching him in this offensive manner, or in any other manner."
As a result of the abuse from John, Wenninger claimed he suffered "physical, mental and emotional injuries, pain, distress, suffering, anguish, fright, nervousness, grief, anxiety, worry, shame [and] mortification."
Wenninger was awarded the LAPD's Medal of Valor in 1996 when he and other police officers helped evacuate 80 people from a burning retirement home.
