Russell Simmons Accused Of Raping Def Jam Producer In The 90s: Lawsuit

NEW YORK CITY — A former Def Jam Recordings music video producer has accused label co-founder Russell Simmons of raping her at his Manhattan apartment in the late 1990s, according to a new lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York and first reported by Variety, identifies the victim only as Jane Doe but says she worked as a senior-level music executive at Def Jam Recordings.

According to the lawsuit, the woman claims she visited Simmons' apartment, where he typically held meetings, to have him review a new video. When she arrived, court documents said Simmons began to "wrestle" with her before he pinned her on a bed and proceeded to rape her.

"Ms. Doe rejected his advance and told him to 'get off' and 'stop' several times," the lawsuit states. "She told him she was 'serious' and she ‘meant it.' But Ms. Doe was forcefully pinned, could not move under his weight and Mr. Simmons would not listen to her."

Simmons was first accused of sexual assault in 2017, prompting multiple women to come forward with allegations against him, Variety reported. The accusations forced Simmons to step down from his roles at Def Jam and his yoga lifestyle brand.

A 2020 documentary, "On the Record," detailed the allegations of several accusers.

"Over twenty women have accused Mr. Simmons of sexual harassment or assault," Jane Doe's lawsuit states. "Generally, the victims did not know each other and there is a striking similarity of a pattern of behavior in most of the alleged assaults by Mr. Simmons."

According to court documents, the woman is seeking $75,000 in damages.