Following our first report earlier this week about an allegation that Southern Charm star Thomas Ravenel settled a sexual assault case two years ago, more details are now coming out about the case.
Ashley Perkins, the daughter of the alleged victim, is not backing down when it comes to her claims that back in December 2015, Thomas allegedly assaulted her mother during what was supposed to be a first date. And with the help of high powered attorney Gloria Allred, Ashley alleges the case was settled for six figures in June of 2016, and that her mother signed a non-disclosure agreement.
In a new interview, Ashley shared her side of the story plus she put out a voicemail recording she says is of an inebriated Thomas from the night of the alleged assault.
Speaking to Fitsnews on April 18, Ashley, a 29-yr-old model and realtor, first shared why she chose to go public with this case.
“I had zero plans of ever communicating directly or indirectly with Thomas Ravenel until last week. I was walking through the living room and saw a promo for Southern Charm. Something about seeing the smug look on his face and his exaggerated swagger just hit me the wrong way. All I could think was about the damage he caused my mother emotionally and the toll his actions took on her personally,” she said. “My Mom will never be the same trusting person again and I blame him for this. When I saw his smug face on the (television) carrying on with his life completely unaffected by his actions, I guess I saw red.”
As for what allegedly took place the night Thomas took her mother out, this is what Ashley revealed –
“Obviously, I was not present at Thomas Ravenel’s house on Beaufain Street nor was I present at the guest house (the location of the alleged attack). All of my information comes from what I heard and observed during the many hours of mediation at the Belmond Charleston Place. Everything, other than what I heard and observed at mediation, I learned about prior to (my mother signing a non-disclosure agreement).
Let’s just say that I heard things that I will never erase from my memory. First of all, their “date” was supposed to be drinks at a downtown bar but Thomas surprises my mom with a “visit” to his new home that had just undergone renovations. HE SAID that since my mom was a realtor that he thought she would enjoy seeing the grand renovations to the home. My Mom, agreed to go in to view the property with the understanding that they would then leave for drinks.
Thomas spends a LONG TIME showing off his new house without even really communicating with my Mom. She was getting bored and wanted to leave for drinks. He suggested that first she see his guest house.
Keep in mind, the guest house is where the nanny and his children LIVED. They did not live with him in the BIG HOUSE at this time. When they entered the guest house, nobody was home. He showed her the little girl’s room and then he proceeded to tell my Mom that his new son, would be sleeping in the BATHROOM in the laundry closet – I am assuming they were going to renovate this in some fashion. So while Thomas is living in grandeur in his million dollar house, his kids and the nanny were shacking up in the guest house. NICE!
They then proceed to the nanny’s room and Thomas, behaving in a VERY BIZARRE fashion, stares out the window. My Mom is concerned they are being followed by someone. He spends no less than ten minutes opening and closing the blinds and peeking out the window. She asks Thomas what he is doing and he tells her to come look. When she looks out the window, she sees another house, not realizing it is Thomas’s main house. From her vantage point, she could see a large bathroom. Thomas tells her that THERE is WHERE IT HAPPENED. She obviously wants to know WHAT and he tells her that is where he saw his ex, Kathryn Dennis, making out with another man. My mom said he appeared in a dissociated state and she turns to leave the room.
He approaches her from behind and grabs her and begins to roughly kiss her. He then throws her on the nanny’s bed and grabs her by her wrists restraining her with one of his hands. He roughly gropes her – her breast, her vagina and her anus. Then while still holding her down with one hand and his body weight, he pulls his pants down and shoves his penis in her face.
As all of this is happening, my mom, who has panic attacks and is extremely claustrophobic, is freaking out and screaming and crying for him to stop. She said it was like he was in a trance and didn’t even hear her. She finally hit full panic mode and screamed at him and called him a rapist.
Apparently, this is a TRIGGER WORD for Thomas as he immediately stopped, hopped off the bed and pulled up his pants. My mother was already at the door heading out of the guest house. She said she was in shock and felt as though she was having an out of body experience. She was so out of it emotionally – hysterically crying and screaming. At this moment, she said she knew he wasn’t going to rape her because he was out of his “trance state” and she demanded he take her home immediately where I met her outside. She had called me from the car and told me to be waiting for her.
After she arrived home, she was in such a state of shock, she wasn’t even processing information. I told her we needed to call the police but she said she would never be like the victim in the William Kennedy Smith trial. I had no idea who she was talking about and I thought she had lost her mind. I finally convinced her at some point to let me photograph her wrists in case she ever changed her mind.
There are so many details and events that I can’t possible share all of them here but let’s just say it was ugly.”
And earlier this week, she also took to her personal website to share a voicemail she states was left by Thomas on the night of the alleged assault. Thomas got lost on the way to pick up her mom for their date according to Ashley, and proceeded to call and leave this voicemail. Ashley believes Thomas sounded drunk during this call, and well, we’ll let you be the judge of that.
You can click here to listen to that voicemail on Ashley’s website. Below is a photo of Ashley with her mom, whose face we are choosing to blur out.
As for Thomas, he’s keeping mum on all this although his attorney did release an earlier statement defending him.
“The recent Twitter statements of Ms. Ashley Perkins about my client are reckless, false and defamatory,” Thomas’s lawyer Richard P. Terbrusch stated. “One can only speculate on her motives, but rest assured once the instant rush of social media wears off and the potential of very real legal consequences sets in, such rashness will be regretted.”
A new episode of Southern Charm airs tonight on Bravo.