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Seal Reportedly Under Investigation For Sexual Battery

The allegations come just one week after his criticism of Oprah Winfrey and Harvey Weinstein.

British singer-songwriter icon Seal may have spoken too soon after he criticized Oprah Winfrey for her affiliation with publicly shamed music executive Harvey Weinstein amid his string of sexual assault allegations.

Now, an actress by the name of Tracey Birdsall has placed Seal in the Hollywood hot seat with sexual battery allegations against the 54-year-old that she said occurred just two years ago, according to TMZ.

Birdsall detailed the incident in an exclusive conversation with the site, TMZ reports, where she said it happened right in his kitchen.

She and Seal were neighbors in Los Angeles during the fall of 2016, Birdsall reportedly explained, and had grown to become good friends. One day, she said she went over to Seal’s home to grab the salad spinner from the kitchen that he borrowed, and that’s when the events unfolded. The “Fly Like an Eagle” singer allegedly forced himself on Birdsall, trying to kiss her, and when she shouted at him to ask what he was doing, he reportedly responded, “I’m kissing you!”

TMZ states that she even claims Seal mocked her clothing, which was a tank top and shorts, suggesting a common sustentation of rape culture: she was asking for it. Birdsall reportedly added that he groped her breasts against her will and she made verbal requests that he stop, then he asked her over to a seat on the couch next to him. While in shock, as TMZ describes, she obliged as he continued pointing out her attire and touching her. Thereafter, she claims that she left and hasn’t been in contact with him since.

What prompted her to reveal the alleged incident two years later? Ironically, Seal’s commentary on Oprah and Weinstein, where he urged all victims of sexual misconduct to come forth with their stories. TMZ adds that she’s already went to the police with her story, and the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department has confirmed their retrieval of the report and a current investigation.

Seal, on the other hand, has already begun his defense of the accusations.

“Seal vehemently denies the recent allegations made against him by a former neighbor for alleged misconduct more than a year ago,” his team reportedly told the site, as “he intends to vigorously defend himself against these false allegations."

Seal nor Birdsall have yet to make public statements regarding the accusations. 

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