{"id":10982,"date":"2026-06-18T00:10:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T00:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/russell-simmons-must-face-def-jam-execs-rape-lawsuit-judge-rules\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T00:10:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T00:10:19","slug":"russell-simmons-must-face-def-jam-execs-rape-lawsuit-judge-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/russell-simmons-must-face-def-jam-execs-rape-lawsuit-judge-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"Russell Simmons Must Face Def Jam Exec\u2019s Rape Lawsuit, Judge Rules"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\tA judge says Russell Simmons<\/strong> can be sued for rape in New York by a former Def Jam executive, even though he now lives in Indonesia.<\/p>\n

\n\tA Tuesday (June 16) order in New York state court, first obtained and reported by Billboard<\/em>, rejects Simmons\u2019 latest attempt to dismiss the civil lawsuit alleging he raped an anonymous executive in Def Jam\u2019s music video department in the 1990s. Simmons, who has been accused of sexual assault by numerous women over the last decade, has denied all wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

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\n\tThe former Def Jam employee, suing under the pseudonym Jane Doe, originally brought her claims against Simmons in federal court in 2024. She suffered a setback last year when a federal judge said Simmons, who has lived in Indonesia since 2018, was outside the court\u2019s jurisdiction. She persisted and re-filed the lawsuit in state court \u2014 and on Tuesday, Judge Adam Silvera said New York law allows the claims to move forward despite Simmons\u2019 expat status.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe complaint alleges the defendant committed the tort of rape in New York state,\u201d wrote the judge. \u201c[In New York], a court may exercise personal jurisdiction over any non-domiciliary who commits a tortious act within the state, except as to a cause of action for defamation. Therefore, the complaint survives the motion to dismiss stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn addition to their arguments about Indonesia, Simmons\u2019 lawyers also argued that the lawsuit should be dismissed because Jane Doe released all possible claims against the Def Jam founder as part of a severance agreement with the label in 1997.<\/p>\n

\n\tHowever, Doe\u2019s attorneys say that purported release is a \u201csham\u201d and that her signature was forged. Judge Silvera determined on Tuesday that there\u2019s a \u201cgenuine dispute as to its authenticity,\u201d meaning he\u2019ll need to see evidence before deciding whether the document is enforceable.<\/p>\n

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\n\tSimmons and Doe will now begin discovery, where they will exchange evidence and depose each other\u2019s witnesses. The judge set a court conference for August to hammer out a calendar for this often-lengthy process.<\/p>\n

\n\tDoe\u2019s lawyers at the firm Boies Schiller & Flexner declined to comment on the ruling on Wednesday (June 17). Simmons\u2019 rep did not immediately return a request for comment.<\/p>\n

\n\tSimmons, who founded Def Jam Recordings in 1984 and built a formidable hip-hop empire, first faced sexual abuse allegations in a New York Times <\/a><\/em>investigation<\/a> from 2017. More women came forward in the 2020 HBO documentary On The Record<\/em>, and legal claims followed.<\/p>\n

\n\tDoe\u2019s lawsuit was filed under New York\u2019s Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily lifted the statute of limitations for rape claims. She alleged that Simmons pinned her to a bed and raped her while she was at his apartment to get approval for a music video.<\/p>\n

\n\tSimmons has settled with at least seven other women who\u2019ve accused him of sexual misconduct in recent years. Many of these accusers have since filed court petitions claiming he\u2019s millions of dollars short on promised settlement payments.<\/p>\n

\n\tSimmons has maintained that the abuse claims are all false. In a motion to dismiss the Doe lawsuit, his attorneys wrote, \u201cDefendant hopes to vindicate himself to the many who have judged him unfairly, for many years, on the untrue and unproven allegations of others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLast June, Simmons went on the offensive and sued HBO for defamation over On The Record<\/em>. He claimed the sexual assault accusations in the documentary were false, and that its producers ignored exculpatory information that would have cleared his name. That case is still pending.<\/p>\n


\"Billboard
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