Russell Simmons wants his sexual assault accuser, Drew Dixon, to cover his legal fees as she is suing him for defamation. The Def Jam co-founder allegedly attempted to tarnish her reputation by downplaying her claims during a December 2023 interview with The New York Times. Simmons, on the other hand, says his comments were of public concern.
“Due to the nature of both Plaintiff’s and Simmons’s fame, and Plaintiff’s public discussion about their sexual history, this topic may fairly be considered as relating to a matter of ‘social or other concern of the community,” Simmons’s attorney David Fish explained in a new filing, as caught by AllHipHop. “Moreover, Plaintiff cast her reputation and these allegations to the forefront of the public’s attention and created further public interest by appearing in The New York Times article, the documentary on HBO, and advocating publicly about her experience with sexual abuse…the allegedly defamatory Statements are as a response to Plaintiff’s inviting public commentary on her interactions with Simmons.”
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As for Simmons’ comments at the center of the lawsuit, he told The New York Times in part: “If you slept with as many people as I slept with—thousands—and we’re talking about six people. But I can simply tell you that I was in so many compromising situations, that people can have a recollection from 30 or 40 years ago, and it can be different from my recollection…could some reimagine a story out of thousands of people? Could someone want notoriety in the market where people thirst for fame, even infamous?”
Simmons previously made headlines, earlier this week, for supporting his daughter Aoki’s relationship with 65-year-old restaurateur Vittorio Assaf despite the age gap. Be on the lookout for further updates on Russell Simmons on HotNewHipHop.
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