Filmmaker’s rape lawsuit against Russell Simmons is dismissed
A federal lawsuit accusing music mogul Russell Simmons of raping a documentary filmmaker in 2016 was dismissed Wednesday.
The $5-million suit, filed in January by Jennifer Jarosik, was dismissed by agreement from Jarosik’s and Simmons’ attorneys. No reason was given in the court filing for the agreement to dismiss the case “with prejudice,” meaning the suit can’t be filed again.
An attorney for Jarosik did not immediately return a request for comment. A representative for Simmons declined to comment and did not respond to a question about whether the case had been settled.
Simmons still faces a $10-million lawsuit filed last month in L.A. County Superior Court by a woman identified only as “Jane Doe,” who alleged Simmons forced himself on her in his hotel room after a concert in 1988. In his reply, Simmons called the allegation “pure fiction” and an extortion attempt.
Jarosik’s lawsuit was filed after more than a dozen women came forward in media reports with allegations that they had been sexually assaulted or raped by the Def Jam founder.
In the complaint, she alleged Simmons invited her to his home to discuss her documentary film project but got aggressive after she rebuffed his sexual advances.
Simmons has denied all accusations against him and maintained he has never been violent toward women. On his Twitter page Wednesday, he posted an image with the words: “You don’t need to explain or justify your feelings to anyone, just trust your inner guidance.”
For more California news, follow me on Twitter @vicjkim
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