Russell Simmons hit with $10-million lawsuit alleging rape
Russell Simmons has been hit with a $10-million rape lawsuit from a woman who says that the hip-hop music mogul forced himself on her in his hotel room following a concert.
It is the latest accusation of sexual misconduct that Simmons is facing. Multiple women have accused the Def Jam Recordings impresario of harassment or rape.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, doesn’t identify the plaintiff except to say that she resides in California. The complaint also doesn’t disclose the date or city of the alleged incident.
Russell denied allegations of sexual misconduct in a statement sent to The Times, adding that he has passed lie detector tests.
“I vehemently deny all the allegations made against me. They have shocked me to my core as I have never been abusive or violent in any way in my relations with women,” he said in the statement.
“I have submitted myself to multiple lie detector tests. I denied forced sex and sexual harassment allegations brought against me in each test; I also answered no to the question, ‘Have you ever physically forced any woman to have sexual intercourse?’ I passed all of the lie detector tests.”
In her complaint Friday, the plaintiff alleges that she was approached by Simmons at a concert for rap and hip-hop artists that she was attending with her son, who was in elementary school at the time and who was a fan of the Def Jam artists at the event. She said that Simmons invited them backstage to meet the artists and that he later invited her back to his hotel for an after-party once she dropped her son off with a baby sitter.
They later visited a local nightclub called the CoCo Palms before returning to Simmons’ hotel, according to the suit. Once in his room, the plaintiff said that Simmons told her, “I am going to [expletive] you.” She alleges that she declined the advance but that Simmons threatened her by saying, “I am going to [expletive] you or I’m going to [expletive] your son.”
She said that Simmons then threw her on the bed and raped her. The suit states that there is at least one witness who saw the plaintiff leave the hotel in tears and that the plaintiff told several people about the incident.
The plaintiff is seeking at least $10 million in damages from Simmons.
In November, Simmons stepped down from his businesses as multiple allegations against him became public. His accusers include screenwriter Jenny Lumet, model Keri Claussen Khalighi and actress Natashia Williams-Blach.
Inside the business of entertainment
The Wide Shot brings you news, analysis and insights on everything from streaming wars to production — and what it all means for the future.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
