Drew Dixonformer Def Jam executive, is suing Russell Simmons for defamation regarding remarks he made on a podcast.
Two days After Sexual Assault Sue, Russell Simmons Is Being Sued Again – This Time By Former A&R Drew Dixon a Def Jam Records executive. The lawsuit, which was filed in New York on Thursday (February 15), alleges that Simmons made comments to Dixon's “coordinated and malicious campaign to discredit” to dismiss her previous allegations that he sexually assaulted her. The comments come from an interview with Simmons on In depth with Graham Besinger podcast last December where he claimed there were different definitions of rape and harassment, saying: “Yes, [rape is] a serious word, but I think they have changed the meaning.'
The legal filing says the Def Jam Records co-founder “has engaged in a concerted and malicious campaign to defame Ms. Dixon and damage her reputation” to the point that Dixon's previous claims would not be considered credible. “He continued his smear campaign against Ms Dixon, referring to the 'lead accuser' from In the archive and calling her a liar for releasing her account of the assault — the defamation that began in December 2019 has continued to this day,” Kenya Davis, an attorney representing Dixon, wrote in the lawsuit. Dixon was one of the main subjects of the documentary. Simmons would claim that Winfrey removed her name from the documentary at his request. “This smear has reached the very top of the leadership circle, including not only Ms. Winfrey, but other founding members of Time's Up, including some of our nation's most powerful women spanning business to politics. entertainment,” Davis also wrote. The suit seeks punitive and punitive damages.
Drew Dixon, who worked at Def Jam from 1993 to 1995, first came forward with her claim that Simmons assaulted her along with two other women in New York Times in 2017. She claims she constantly fought Simmons' sexually aggressive intentions while at Def Jam that led him to pin her to a bed in his apartment in 1995 and sexually assault her. Simmons disputed those claims. Since then, a total of 20 women have accused the 66-year-old of sexual harassment.