Russell Simmons new lawsuit: Music producer claims he raped her in 1990s

Russell Simmons finds himself embroiled in a #MeToo controversy as a former music video producer has sued him for allegedly raping her as they worked together for Def Jam Recordings in the late 1990s.

Woman accuses Russell Simmons of alleged rape

The woman kept herself anonymous and referred to herself as Jane Doe. She alleged that Russell Simmons called her to his apartment in Manhattan to get a rough cut of a video checked. When she reached there, she alleges that he made a “wrestling move,” pinned her down on his bed, and proceeded to rape her.

The lawsuit states: “Ms. Doe rejected his advances and told him to ‘get off’ and ‘stop’ several times. 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.”

Not the first time that his name has cropped up in #MeToo

Russell Simmons’ name had earlier cropped up when Hollywood was stormed with a wave of #MeToo allegations in 2017, including those levelled against Harvey Weinstein. After multiple women came forward with allegations against him, he was forced to step down from his roles at Def Jam and his yoga lifestyle brand. The multiple sexual assault allegations even got a documentary treatment in 2020 with On the Record.

The latest lawsuit claims that Jane Doe saw a familiar pattern and couldn't control herself from revealing what happened to her at the hands of Simmons.

“When Ms. Doe learned about the accounts of the other survivors, she was struck by how similar they were to her own horrible experience at the hands of Mr. Simmons,” the complaint states.

The suit alleges that leading up to the assault, Simmons would also sexually harass the plaintiff in her office at work, shutting the door behind him, leaning over her and making sexual innuendos.

The suit alleges that she was “forever changed” by the assault, that she suffered from dissociation, depression and anxiety, and that she turned in her notice at Def Jam shortly afterwards. She also suffered panic attacks, developed an eating disorder, and had difficulty dealing with heightened emotions in work settings.

What triggered Jane Doe to file suit after all these years?

All past things came as a rude shock to her when in March 2023, she went to a yoga class and found herself next to Simmons. According to the suit, she was taken aback when he said her name, and she asked if it was okay to practice next to him. He responded: “Of course. What, do you think I’m gonna try and fuck you?” the lawsuit states.

“Ms. Doe was horrified. She realised not only was he unapologetic towards her personally, he did not appreciate that the assault was wrong,” the complaint further states.

Previously, Jennifer Jarosik filed a rape lawsuit against Simmons in January 2018. That complaint was dropped a few months later. Another accuser, identified only as Jane Doe, sued Simmons in Los Angeles in March 2018. A judge threw that case out in 2020 because the allegation was barred by the statute of limitations.