Russell Simmons' Sexual Assault Accuser & Former Employee Sues Him for Defamation

Russell Simmons. Photo/Oxygen

Russell Simmons was accused of rape by former Def Jam Records executive Drew Dixon, Sil Lai Abrams, and Alexia Norton in 2017. According to multiple news outlets, Drew filed a lawsuit against the former Def Jam executive in New York last week, for accusing the Def Jam Recordings co-founder of making defamatory statements in response to her allegations of sexual assault in a 2023 interview with Graham Bensinger. Simmons reportedly said that Dixon and other accusers "want notoriety in the market where people thirst for fame." Drew alleged, Simmons "violently tackled and raped" her in 1995 when she worked for his company. Drew claimed, "He was ordering me a car, and he told me to come upstairs and pick up a demo," She continued during her interview with CBS, "I thought I would be in his apartment for five total minutes. That's it. And he showed up naked, wearing a condom, and tackled me to his bed, while I screamed and fought and said, 'No,' and cried. That's rape." 

Drew Dixon. Photo/Oxygen

Sil Lai Abrams and Alexia Norton Jones joined Drew for an interview with CBS News prior to the release of the 2020 documentary On the Record, where the women claimed that Russell raped them as well during the '90s. Sil Lai stated she briefly dated and "hung out" with Simmons before he raped her in 1994. She denies that the sexual contact was consensual—"He'll say, 'Yes, we had a sexual relationship,' but he cannot address the fact that I was too drunk to consent," she said. "That the next day, I called him up, screaming. And I attempted suicide. He knew. And I told him why, that he had ruined my life, and that I had nothing." Alexia claims she also dated Simmons during the '90s and said he raped her during their first date in 1991—"He raped me right up against the (expletive) wall. Excuse my language … that's what he did. I had to keep this secret," she said while tearing up. The documentary was initially backed by Oprah Winfrey, who stepped away from the project.

According to CBS, Simmons refutes all sexual assault claims made against him, saying he's passed nine lie detector tests regarding the allegations. The former music mogul does admit to womanizing but contends that he's never forcefully had sex with anyone.

According to NBC, Dixon also sued record executive LA Reid for sexual assault in 2023. She worked for Reid when he was chief executive of Arista Records. Dixon alleged that Reid sexually assaulted her twice in 2001 and later cut her budget and sidelined artists when she rebuffed his continuing advances.

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