Russell Simmons was sued for the second time in a matter of days. According to Rolling Stone, former Def Jam executive Drew Dixon filed a defamation lawsuit against the label’s founder on Thursday (February 15).
Dixon, who previously accused Simmons of sexually assaulting her in 1995, claimed he defamed her by calling her a liar. Dixon’s lawsuit said Simmons engaged in a “malicious campaign to discredit” her.
“Ms. Dixon has taken enough abuse,” her lawyers told Rolling Stone. “Not only was she violently raped by Russell Simmons – profoundly disrupting her personal and professional life – but after she tried to move forward and heal, he then further abused her by publicly proclaiming that she lied about the rape in search of ‘fame.’ Mr. Simmons has used his public platform to re-traumatize and terrorize Ms. Dixon, and the time has now come to hold him accountable for his defamatory statements and to end this cycle of abuse.”
Dixon was one of the multiple women who accused Simmons of sexual abuse and harassment. She was notably featured in the HBO Max documentary On the Record, which focused on the allegations against Simmons.
Simmons denied the allegations. He claimed all his sexual relationships were consensual in a December 2023 interview with Graham Bensinger. Simmons suggested the meaning of the word “rape” changed over the years, downplaying multiple women’s accusations. Dixon cited the interview in her lawsuit.
Earlier this week, another former Def Jam executive sued Simmons for rape. The woman, who was identified as Jane Doe, said the sexual assault occurred in the ‘90s. She left her job at Def Jam after the alleged attack.
Dixon pursued legal action against Simmons a few months after suing L.A. Reid for sexual assault. Dixon claimed Reid sexually assaulted her twice while she worked at Arista Records in 2001.
