9 months ago
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A former music video producer sued Russell Simmons for allegedly raping her in the late ’90s.
The woman, identified as Jane Doe, alleged in her lawsuit filed Tuesday that the Def Jam Recordings co-founder, now 66, pinned her down on his bed and raped her when she visited his Manhattan apartment to get his approval for a rough cut of a video.
“Ms. Doe rejected his advance and told him to ‘get off’ and ‘stop’ several times,” the suit states, according to Variety.
“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, who fled to Bali in 2017 after being accused him of rape and sexual misconduct by multiple women, was the subject of a 2020 documentary centered on the allegations of sexual abuse and harassment against the disgraced hip-hop mogul.
The woman, who is being identified as Jane Doe, claims Simmons pinned her to his bed and raped her despite her rejecting his advances. Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Doe said she noticed a familiar pattern in her story to what other women had allegedly experienced with 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 suit said.
The plaintiff claims in the lawsuit that prior to the assault, Simmons would allegedly sexually harass her in her office at work.
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If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
