Russell Simmons is being sued for an alleged rape of a Def Jam employee that occurred at his apartment in the late 1990s.
Russell Simmons Sued for Alleged Rape
On Tuesday (Feb. 13), Variety reported that a former music video producer, who goes by Jane Doe, filed a lawsuit against Russell Simmons alleging he sexually assaulted her when she worked for Def Jam Recordings in the late 1990s.
Doe claims she went to Simmons’ Manhattan apartment to get his approval for a music video cut. Once there, she claims Simmons performed a “wrestling move” on her before pinning her to the bed and raping her.
“Ms. Doe rejected his advance and told him to ‘get off’ and ‘stop’ several times,” the lawsuit reads. “She told him she was ‘serious’ and she ‘meant it.’ But Ms. Doe was forcefully pinned, could not move under his weight and Mr. Simmons would not listen to her.”
Doe’s attorneys Kenya Davis and Sigrid McCawley additionally claim that Simmons was sexually harassing their client at work leading up to the assault. Doe claimed he’d shut the door behind him while they were alone and lean over her while making sexual remarks. Doe reportedly left Def Jam shortly after the assault and developed an eating disorder and other mental issues.
“She was proud of her contributions to the burgeoning musical genre of hip hop, but her hard work and her career in music was disrupted and derailed by Mr. Simmons, a rich and powerful celebrity whose wealth and influence allowed his abusive behavior to go unchallenged for decades,” Doe’s attorney’s said. “Now a successful writer and producer in the entertainment industry, Jane Doe’s traumatic experiences with Simmons echo those of so many other women who he has preyed upon for decades.”
Simmons had previously been accused by 18 other women of rape and sexual assault back in 2018. According to the lawsuit, Doe decided to come forward after seeing the other women’s allegations.
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Russell Simmons Settled Sexual Assault Case in 2018
Back in April of 2018, Russell Simmons settled a lawsuit from Jennifer Jarosik who previously sued Simmons for $5 million. Jarosik claimed he sexually assaulted her after she refused his advances. According to TMZ, Jarosik’s lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, which means she can’t refile.
Simmons has apologized over the years for being insensitive but has claimed he was never violent towards women.
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