Russell Simmons Accused of Sexual Assault in New Federal Lawsuit

Note: This article contains descriptions of alleged sexual assault.


In a newly filed lawsuit, a woman alleges that Russell Simmons sexually assaulted her in New York in the 1990s. The woman, identified as Jane Doe, currently lives in Los Angeles, and she says in her lawsuit that she is a film producer who previously “worked as a senior level music executive at Def Jam Recordings.” Doe filed her lawsuit today (February 13) in a New York federal court.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by Pitchfork, Doe was a music video producer in the early 1990s, working often on videos for Def Jam Recordings—the hip-hop label that Russell Simmons co-founded with Rick Rubin in 1984. She says “went in-house and worked for Def Jam” in the mid-1990s. At the label, she says, “she was responsible for supervising all film production and a demanding release schedule for a large artists roster.”


Formally, Jane Doe is suing Russell Simmons for sexual battery/assault, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and violation of the New York City Gender Motivated Violence Act. The lawsuit is filed under New York’s Adult Survivors Act and Gender Motivated Violence Act.

In a statement, Doe’s attorneys, Kenya K. Davis and Sigrid McCawley, said:

As detailed in the complaint, our client was sexually assaulted and harassed by her boss, Russell Simmons, while pursuing her professional ambitions as an executive at Def Jam. 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. 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.


Russell Simmons sold Def Jam Recordings to Universal Music Group in 1999. Since 2017, he has faced several allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. He has largely denied the allegations, and he stepped down from his various companies as the women’s claims emerged.

Simmons was sued in 2018 by Jennifer Jarosik, who claimed that the executive raped her in 2016. Simmons denied her claims, and the lawsuit was dropped.

Simons was also sued by a woman identified Jane Doe in Los Angeles Superior Court in March 2018. The woman alleged that Simmons sexually assaulted her in 1988, and her lawsuit was dismissed in November 2020, as a judge ruled that the statute of limitations had expired. Simmons had also denied the woman’s allegations.

Pitchfork has reached out to a Russell Simmons representative for comment.


If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, we encourage you to reach out for support:

RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
http://rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)

Crisis Text Line
SMS: Text “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741

Source : Pitchfork