Russell Simmons' rape accuser suing for $10 million
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC News passed on Joy Reid's story involving Russell Simmons.
Russell Simmons is facing another rape allegation and a $10 million lawsuit.
In court documents filed and obtained by Page Six on Friday, a woman accused the disgraced hip-hop mogul, 60, of sexually assaulting her in a hotel room and threatening to rape her son if she didn’t comply.
The woman, referred to only as Jane Doe in the suit, says she and her elementary school-aged son were attending a concert in Sacramento for an artist who worked with the Def Jam founder, when he invited them to go backstage. She then accompanied Simmons to his hotel bar and a nightclub after dropping off her son with a babysitter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The woman claims she later returned with Simmons — who has been at the center of sexual assault accusations for months — to his hotel, but says he assured her he wasn’t interested in having sex with her, as he was in a relationship with a “well-known” model. But after “reluctantly” joining him in his room, she claims he shut the door and told her, “I am going to f–k you.”
“[The] Plaintiff said she had no intention of having sexual relations with Simmons — but he replied ‘I am going to f–k you or I’m going to f–k your son. You decide,'” according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
She alleges that he threw her on the bed and raped her. She is now seeking at least $10 million in damages over allegations of forcible rape and emotional distress.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“As a father of a young daughter, I am grateful to my client and the other women who have had the courage to bring these cases that will help make the world safer for women everywhere,” the woman’s lawyer, Douglas Mastroianni, told Page Six on Friday.
Simmons denied the accusations in a statement to Page Six on Friday.
“I vehemently deny all the allegations made against me,” he said. “They have shocked me to my core as I have never been abusive or violent in any way in my relations with women.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I have submitted myself to multiple lie detector tests,” Simmons’ statement continued. “I denied forced sex and sexual harassment allegations brought against me in each test; I also answered no to the question, ‘Have you ever physically forced any woman to have sexual intercourse?’ I passed all of the lie detector tests.”
The famed music producer — a father of three who was once married to Kimora Lee Simmons — has faced sexual misconduct allegations since the fall of 2017, including an accusation of attempted rape by PR guru Kelly Cutrone.
Simmons launched a #NotMe campaign on Instagram in response to the #MeToo movement. He later halted the initiative after saying “that this is a time for women to speak.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This article originally appeared in the New York Post.