*Sean “Diddy” Combs isn’t the only hip-hop mogul dealing with sex-related legal drama. According to The Blast, Russell Simmons is still putting up with the effects of a sexual harassment lawsuit.
The suit remains relevant as the 66-year-old Def Jam Recordings co-founder faces accusations of avoiding answering questions under oath.
The accusations, the site reports, come from an undisclosed former Def Jam executive identified as Jane Doe. The plaintiff accuses Simmons of raping her at his apartment during her stint as a staff member at Def Jam. Jane Doe claimed she requested Simmons attend a deposition via Zoom and answer a few questions under oath about the lawsuit.
Citing discussions with Simmons’ attorneys, The Blast mentioned that the alleged victim and her lawyer revealed to the court that “it does appear the parties are at an impasse on several important issues.”
Jane Doe further noted that she asked for Simmons and some former Def Jam employees to be deposed. However, Simmons has not answered any questions that could help move the case forward.
In Touch reports the accuser believes a deposition would “obviate the need for his answering the interrogatories.”
As it stands now, Simmons has not agreed to do either task.
Detailing her filing, Jane Doe put more weight on her suit, claiming she was at Simmons’ Manhattan apartment in New York when he forced himself on her during a business meeting..
“This lawsuit chronicles the account of how a woman who, while pursuing her career passion as a music executive, was sexually harassed, assaulted, sexually battered, and raped by her boss, Russell Simmons,” the accuser explained in the lawsuit, adding that Simmons’ status as a powerful and rich celebrity with overwhelming influence has allowed his “abusive behavior to go unchallenged for decades.”
Jane Doe further went in on the businessman, saying she and Simmons typically held meetings at his Manhattan home. On the day of the alleged rape, she consulted Simmons to review a new video for approval.
“Initially, Russell began to ‘wrestle’ with Ms. Doe in an attempt to appear playful. The situation escalated into aggression, and Russell pined Ms. Doe down on a bed.” the suit alleged.
Although Jane Doe told Simmons to get off her, the music mogul refused and started to force himself on her.
As a result of the ordeal, Simmons’ accuser mentioned that she was “wrought with distress” after the ordeal, especially because she was at the “peak of her career success at Def Jam, making award-winning videos for their biggest artists.”
Jane Doe touched on emotions she experienced from her encounter such as “overwhelming anxiety, shame, humiliation, and debilitating low self-esteem,” in addition to dealing with frequent panic attacks and struggling to go to the Def Jam “offices or to function in her leadership role.”
The emotions proved to be too much for Jane Doe, who eventually quit her job shortly after the assault. The Blast noted that the accuser did not keep the incident to herself, confiding in “a small group of trusted friends and therapists about what had happened.”
Simmons denied all allegations against him by the unidentified accuser, arguing Jane Doe’s claims were barred because she “released her claims against Simmons” in a 1997 agreement.
The record label executive went on to request that the former Def Jam employee’s case be dismissed by the court, in light of him living in Bali, not the United States. Simmons reinforced his claim, saying he submitted his Balinese driver’s license, proof that he sold his property in New York in 2021, and his bank account details in Bali.
His attorney also argued that he did not need a deposition “under the order for limited discovery,” adding, “We believe a deposition is unduly burdensome, duplicative, and intended to harass our client.”
More recently, the judge in Jane Doe’s case ruled that the accuser’s request for documents is “overbroad, burdensome, and go far beyond the limited discovery authorized.” The judge, however, ordered depositions to be granted in the case.
Currently, Russell Simmons’ accuser has not specified the damages she’s requesting in her ongoing sexual harassment case.
News of Simmons’ legal situation comes after he recently petitioned the court to force his former wife, Kimora Lee Simons, to appear for a deposition in New York and release private text messages between her and Tim Leissner as well as her financial advisors.
Simmons claimed that he was entitled to know the details of these conversations to help him prove his case.
“The only text messages Ms. Lee has produced appear to be messages sent or received by Defendant Leissner, not her,” Simmons’ lawyer noted.
Adding to his argument, Simmons claimed that Kimora has “steadfastly refused to attend her deposition in New York.”
Simmons’ efforts to get Kimora to give her deposition come years after they started legally going against each other in 2021 over shares in the energy drink company Celsius. At the center of the case are accusations from Simmons that his ex-wife used the funds from the shares to bail her ex-husband, Leissner, without his consent or permission.
For more about Russell Simmons’ legal situation via TheBlast, click here.
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