Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons has been accused of not paying several million dollars in settlements to two women who accused him of sexual assault.
According to Courthouse News Services, Simmons owes two Toni Sallie and Alexia Norton Jones over $3 million after agreeing to two confidential settlements in 2023.
He was supposed to pay Sallie about $3 million while owing Jones $200,000.
The court filings were made public on Friday, Jan. 24, after the two
women filed confessions of judgment in New York County Supreme Court as part of confidential settlements made with the hip-hop mogul in 2023. Sallie and Simmons agreed on their settlement on Nov. 23, 2023.“The parties and their counsel agree to keep strictly confidential and not to disclose to anyone…any information concerning or in any way relating to the claims which Sallie has alleged caused her injuries or damages,” the agreement stated.
However, in the recent
documents filed, Sallie claims Simmons has only paid about $60,000. She is requesting that the remaining $2.94 million be paid, in addition to a 20% annualized interest that started accruing in February 2024.Sallie also informed Simmons and his attorney that they are “obligated to maintain, preserve, retain, protect, and not destroy any and all documents and data…that may be relevant to any claims asserted by Ms. Sallie concerning Simmons’s sexual assaults of her and/or anyone else.”
For Jones, she entered into a confidential agreement
with Simmons on April 12, 2023, where he was supposed to pay her $300,000. She used a Jane Doe pseudonym, while Simmons was identified as John Roe.The alleged sexual assault wasn’t mentioned in their settlement agreement but instead refers to the “alleged personal physical injuries and/or physical sickness, as well as … attendant emotional distress that Doe claims she has suffered.”
In both settlements, Simmons didn’t admit to any wrongdoing.
In November 2024, Simmons was accused of using
Indonesian retirement to avoid a sexual assault lawsuit in the United States. The alleged victim requested that a judge dismiss his claim that he cannot be sued in New York because he is a “stateless” U.S. citizen who has since “retired” in Indonesia on a retirement visa granted by Indonesian authorities.RELATED CONTENT: OPINION: Former President Barack Obama Booed At Trump’s Inauguration: A New Low For Republican Decorum