Accuser in rape case sues designer

By GREG RISLING, Associated Press Writer Fri Oct 19, 12:24 AM ET

LOS ANGELES - A woman filed a lawsuit Thursday against a celebrity fashion designer charged with sexually assaulting her and 19 other women and girls.

Natalie Pack said Anand Jon Alexander raped her three years ago when she met with him at his Beverly Hills apartment. Pack, a fashion model since she was 16, said she suffered emotional trauma and hasn't been able to work since.

"Not only am I angry, hurt, and traumatized, I'm fearful for my future. I want justice," Pack, 29, said in a news release.

Pack said she decided to come forward in an effort to inspire others to do the same.

"Natalie knows that many models may be fearful, but she wants them to break out of their fear," said her attorney, Gloria Allred.

In the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Pack alleges fraud and seeks unspecified damages. A phone message left for Alexander's attorney was not immediately returned.

Alexander, 33, was indicted this month on 59 counts, including rape, sexual battery and committing a lewd act on a child. He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 25.

Prosecutors said 20 girls and women, between the ages of 15 and 27, were sexually assaulted by Alexander between November 2002 and March 2007.

One of the women named in the indictment was Pack, who traveled to the Los Angeles area from Boise, Idaho, in 2004. Allred said Alexander had expressed interest in hiring Pack for a show.

Alexander also faces charges in Texas and is under investigation in New York and Massachusetts.

Alexander's lawyers have said some of the women made up the allegations to seek fame and have contacted one another. Allred said Pack has not spoken to any other accusers.

Alexander, known as Anand Jon in the fashion industry, came to the United States from India as a teen with his sister and mother. He graduated from the Parsons School of Design in New York in 1998 and began designing jewelry and clothing.

Alexander made the rounds of parties and fashion events, sometimes working with such celebrities as Paris Hilton, Michelle Rodriguez and Mary J. Blige. He appeared on "America's Next Top Model" in 2003 and was among 20 people profiled by Newsweek as up-and-coming players in various industries

Designer indicted on sex assault charges

By GREG RISLING, Associated Press Writer Thu Oct 4, 6:09 PM ET

LOS ANGELES - Celebrity fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander was indicted on 59 counts of sexual assault in a move prosecutors said Thursday would keep his accusers from having to testify at a preliminary hearing.

Prosecutors previously charged Alexander with more than 40 felony and misdemeanor counts involving 18 victims that included rape, sexual battery and committing a lewd act on a child. He pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges.

The indictment, unsealed Thursday, added two more alleged victims to the original case, bringing the total number to 20. Alexander targeted the women and girls, ages 15 to 27, between November 2002 and March 2007, prosecutors contend.

"One of the reasons in seeking the indictment is that it speeds up the process and avoids a preliminary hearing," said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office. "The nature of the charges allows victims not to testify twice."

Alexander, 33, has made the rounds of parties and fashion events, working with celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Michelle Rodriguez and Mary J. Blige. He also was a profiled designer on the TV show "America's Next Top Model" in 2003 and was among 20 people profiled by Newsweek as up-and-coming players in various industries.

Alexander is suspected of meeting women on the Internet and assaulting them when they visited with him about modeling opportunities.

His defense has claimed some of the women made the allegations to seek fame. Alexander's lawyer, Anthony Brooklier, said in some of the cases, the victims either kept in contact or met with the fashion designer after the crimes supposedly occurred.

"We think this is made up of whole cloth, the entire case," Brooklier said Thursday outside court.

Alexander was arrested in March at his Beverly Hills apartment. Bail was set at $1.3 million but Alexander remained in custody.

He was in court Thursday when Superior Court Judge David Wesley ordered him held without bail pending an Oct. 25 hearing. Prosecutors had asked for bail to be reset at $5.1 million.

A grand jury in Houston charged Alexander on July 30 with felony sexual assault of a child between ages 14 and 16, assistant district attorney Brian Rose said. Houston police have an open warrant for his arrest. Investigations also are under way in New York and Massachusetts.

Alexander came to the United States from India as a teen with his sister and mother. He graduated from the Parsons School of Design in New York in 1998 and began designing jewelry and clothing.

If convicted of all counts, he faces up to life in prison.