Pop star singer Cyndi Lauper’s son, Dex Lauper, is facing serious legal allegations, and now his father has been dragged into a sexual assault lawsuit that exposes a troubling pattern of alleged abuse spanning years.
The civil complaint centers on a November 2020 encounter inside a penthouse on Thompson Street in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, and it’s not just about what happened that night.
It’s about what his father, David Farrington Thornton, allegedly knew and did nothing about.
According to the filing, Dex Lauper invited a woman over and sent her about $60 through Cash App for the ride. Once she arrived, things escalated quickly.
The complaint says they argued over a sexual request, and she tried to leave because she felt uncomfortable. When she attempted to exit, Dex allegedly took her phone to prevent her from leaving and threatened to break it if she didn’t comply.
The lawsuit claims he pushed her onto a bed multiple times and held her down when she tried to get up.
The filing alleges he forced sexual contact while restraining her despite repeated protests. During the struggle, she claims she heard a pop in her neck before he let her go.
Afterward, the complaint says Dex yelled, “you see, I told you not to do that,” and allegedly told her no one would believe her. The woman is seeking damages tied to physical injuries and emotional distress.
Here’s where his father becomes central to the case. Thornton leased and controlled the apartment, which the lawsuit says gave him the authority to step in but didn’t.
The complaint claims Thornton knew about past accusations tied to his son, including alleged violence and prior settlements, but still allowed him to use the apartment without restrictions.
This knowledge stems from highly publicized 2018 allegations made by Brittney Taylor, a cast member of VH1’s “Love and Hip Hop: New York.”
Taylor publicly accused Dex Lauper of physical and verbal domestic violence during their romantic relationship. She alleged that Dex physically assaulted her, injuring her face and nose, and suffocated her.
Taylor claimed Dex held her hostage at his residence and refused to allow her to leave, requiring her mother and law enforcement to respond to escort her to safety.
She further alleged that Dex threatened to distribute intimate photographs and videos of her without consent, in an act of revenge pornography.
Taylor also publicly accused Dex of racially motivated verbal abuse, including using racial epithets, calling her a “crack baby,” and verbally abusing her mother.
These public accusations were widely reported by media outlets and disseminated on social media platforms, placing Thornton on notice of his son’s violent and abusive propensities toward women.
Yet the lawsuit claims that following these 2018 allegations, Thornton continued to permit his son to use and occupy the premises without imposing any restrictions, conditions, or supervision.
Dex’s legal troubles extend beyond this civil case. Authorities arrested him in 2022 for unauthorized use of a vehicle after he was found in a stolen car.
His legal trouble escalated in February 2024 when police linked him to a Harlem shooting and charged him with weapon possession and drug offenses.