Russell Simmons faces a defamation lawsuit after accusations by former music executive Drew Dixon. She claims Simmons called her a “liar” after she accused him of sexual assault according to court documents obtained by Rolling Stone.
Dixon, who worked at Def Jam Records in the ’90s, filed suit in New York seeking compensatory and punitive damages. Her attorneys point to an interview where Simmons downplayed the accusations of harassment and sexual assault.
In a statement provided to Rolling Stone, Dixon’s lawyers stated, “Ms. Dixon has taken enough abuse… the time has now come to hold him accountable for his defamatory statements and to end this cycle of abuse.”
Dixon first came forward about her alleged experience with Simmons to The New York Times in 2017, alleging he assaulted her in an incident at his apartment in 1995.
Simmons addressed the accusations from multiple women in an interview last December, claiming to have never been forceful in any of his relationships.