'Glee' Actor Mark Salling Accused of Sexual Battery & the Details Are Horrible

by Linda Sharps January 23 at 3:18 PM

Have you heard about this upsetting business going on with actor Mark Salling, who plays Puck on Glee? Salling is being sued for sexual battery by his ex-girlfriend, and while I don't think there's such a thing as a "less creepy" version of, you know, SEXUAL BATTERY, this charge seems particularly creepy.

In addition to sexual battery, the Glee star is accused of intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence -- but Salling's publicist has brushed off the claims as a "textbook case of a disgruntled girl looking to cash in on a TV star's success."

Who's telling the truth here? Well, there's no way to know for sure at this point, but the details certainly aren't pretty.

So here's what the lawsuit from his ex-girlfriend Roxanne Gorzela claims:

• She began dating the 30-year-old in September 2010
• In March 2011, Gorzela consented to have sex with him, but only with a condom
• Salling ignored her demand and proceeded to "insert his penis into [her] vagina without a condom"

Gorzela claims that Salling initially stopped when she protested, but later had sex with her a second time without a condom. She says she attempted to contact Salling via phone calls and text to ask if he had been tested for STDs. After receiving no response, she says she confronted him at his house, where he allegedly grabbed her and pushed her to the ground, causing her to hit her head. On the day of the alleged attack, March 25, she filed a police report against Salling.

Gorzela filed the sexual battery lawsuit against Salling on Friday afternoon, in which she described the actor's behavior as "willful, malicious, and despicable," and that it caused her "severe and substantial mental and emotional distress, humiliation, fear, apprehension, anxiety, and anguish."

As for Salling's side of the story, his publicist shared the following terse statement:

There is no truth to this. It's the textbook case of a disgruntled girl looking to cash in on a TV star's success. We turn the rest over to Mark's attorneys and have no further comment.

Salling took to Twitter on Saturday to thank his fans for their support:

I always have and always will appreciate your support. Terror and intimidation are things ill never subscribe to. Love y'all so much.

I'm not really up to speed on Glee, but it's my understanding Puck's character is sort of a player/bully, right? That seems ... unfortunate, given the nature of these accusations. Who can say what really went on between these two, but it's clear that the relationship took a very bad turn at some point. It's hard to imagine how his team will handle the damage control -- I wouldn't be surprise if this goes to settlement ASAP. What a mess for everyone involved, and for Glee show creators and fans.

Are you surprised by the lawsuit against Mark Salling? What's your gut feeling on this?

Image via The Cosmopolitan/Flickr

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Filed Under: glee, television

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Linda Sharps

lives in Eugene, Oregon with her family, where she works from home while wrangling two rambunctious boys. She always has a caffeinated beverage in hand and a LEGO embedded in her foot.

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Comments 30

RhondaVeggie

January 23 at 3:56 PM

She's suing him for not using a condom. Somehow I don't see her doing that if he was a regular guy off the street instead of a very popular and no doubt well paid TV star. If it really caused her such mental anguish then she would have left him the first time he tried it.

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motherinNH

January 23 at 4:08 PM

I am sorry, I have a hard time believing this is anything but a money grab. If she was in " severe and substantial mental and emotional distress" why did she have unprotected sex with him for a second time without asking if had been tested for STD's?

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Stephanie0309

January 23 at 4:49 PM

My gut feeling? Unless this "victim" was unconscious, which was NOT alleged, then she knew he wasn't wearing a condom before they engaged in sex. Calling him later to inquire about whether he'd been tested for STD's is laughable.....if it was that much of a concern, I'm pretty sure she would have brought it up immediately. To me she sounds like a money-hungry, immature and irresponsible child. He is simply the latest victim of trolls like her, and I hope she receives nothing but public humiliation.

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Nonmember comment from Joshua

January 23 at 5:16 PM

Wow. You girls are hateful. I'm siding with the woman on this one - if she said condoms only, and he went ahead without one, he's the jackass. The "later had sex with her a second time without a condom," I presume, was that same night. At the very least within a few days - the entire consent to sex, sex, assault, and police report all happened within the same month. I learned very early on that you don't push the envelope when a woman gives you boundaries - no means no means no. But you're right, she's probably just doing this for the money.

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Nonmember comment from Jen

January 23 at 5:55 PM

Why wait almost a year to press charges??

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Nonmember comment from Mia

January 23 at 6:15 PM

I don't know mark salling and I don't know his life but seeing him act on glee and his twitter posts, I'm almost sure he wouldn't do that . He might do that on glee but seriously doubt he would do this in real life. Praying for u mark love him on glee!

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rockyhugs35

January 23 at 6:53 PM

Oh please. Sounds like she's looking for a check. Why wouldn't she ask if he'd been tested for stds BEFORE they had sex? And why would she have sex a second time if he "refused" to put a condom on the first time. Sorry, I'm not buying it.

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Nonmember comment from Amy

January 23 at 7:04 PM

I have to add my 2 cents here. You don't mention in your article, for whatever reason, that she BROKE INTO HIS HOUSE, to confront him about him not returning her calls. She also accuses him of being with another woman when she broke in (who is a witness to her breaking in). Now, they were NOT dating at the time, so he had every right to be with another woman, but no article mentions what he and the other woman were doing together, it could have been a fellow actress, a girlfriend, anyone. I'm not saying he's off the hook here, if she told him no, then it means NO and he should have listened to her. That said, if he wasn't willing to use a condom, she should have left then and there. There is no way we can know all the details about that night, it's all he said, she said. I would hate to see his career derailed because of someone trying to make money off of him though. My "gut" feeling is that she's trying to get some money, but I'm trying to reserve judgment until more facts are known.

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Facebook comment from Stephanie Robertson

January 23 at 7:19 PM

this girl is a joke, and is in fact hurting the chances of real woman who was actually sexually battered to come forward without fear. She should be ashamed of herself, and she should have to go to jail.

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missybest

January 23 at 7:25 PM

I was all for being angry at this actor until I read the story. Sounds like the girl is a money-grabber. Unless some whacko with a gun was raping me, if I wanted a condom used and it wasn't being used, I would be out of there! The guy would have to beat me to make me have sex with him without a condom, if that is what I wanted. Come on! Like we have no say at all? She sounds a little crazy!

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