Russell Simmons sued by ex Def Jam producer for alleged rape in the ’90s

A former music video producer has sued Def Jam Recordings co-founder Russell Simmons, 66, alleging that he raped her while she working for the label in the 1990s.

In a lawsuit filed in New York on Tuesday and obtained by The Post, the woman, who identifies herself as Jane Doe, claims that she went over to Simmons’ Manhattan apartment to get his approval for a rough cut of a video.

There, he allegedly began to “wrestle” her, before pinning her to the bed and raping her.

“Ms. Doe rejected his advance and told him to ‘get off’ and ‘stop’ several times,” the suit states. “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.”

The Post has contacted reps for Simmons for comment.

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

Her lawyers emphasized that her career as a senior level music executive at the label was “disrupted and derailed by a devastating at the hands of Mr. Simmons.”

In 2017, multiple women came forward with similar accusations against Simmons, forcing him to step down from his roles at Def Jam and at his yoga lifestyle brand. Several accusers spoke out in the 2020 documentary, “On The Record.”

Last year, his ex-wife, Kimora Lee Simmons, also accused him of emotional and verbal abuse, claiming he threatened their kids’ lives.

In Doe’s recent filing, her lawyers claim that she was “forever changed” by the alleged assault, suffering from dissociation, depression and anxiety, and subsequently left Def Jam shortly after it.

The woman also suffered panic attacks and developed an eating disorder, and struggled to keep a job after the alleged abuse.

In March, the woman claims she attended a yoga class where she found herself next to Simmons. When she asked if it was OK to practice next to him, he allegedly responded, “Of course. What, do you think I’m gonna try and f–k you?”

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

This complaint was filed under New York’s Adult Survivors Act and the New York City Gender Motivated Violence Act, which temporarily gives survivors to take legal action against alleged abusers that would otherwise be outside the statute of limitations.

This isn’t the first time a rape lawsuit has been filed against Simmons. Jennifer Jarosik filed a complaint in federal court in January 2018 but it was ultimately dropped months later. Another Jane Doe filed a suit in state court in Los Angeles in March 2018, but a judge threw it out in 2020 because the statute of limitations barred it.

In December, Simmons denied the 2017 allegations against him in an interview with Graham Bensinger.

The media mogul revealed he’s “slept with” “thousands” of people over the years, claiming, “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.”

“I’ve never been violent to anybody,” Simmons added. “Of course I’ve been insensitive, but certainly never been forceful in any of my relationships, all of which I’ve had have been consensual.”

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.