Embattled Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons is firing back at a defamation lawsuit filed by a former executive and demanding that it be tossed, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Simmons said the suit should be dismissed with prejudice because he was speaking generally while addressing sexual assault claims against him back in Dec. 2023 — and never mentioned Dixon by name.
This outlet should note that Dixon worked for Simmons in the 1990s and she alleged that he sexually assaulted her during that time.
Last month, we learned that Simmons was served with Dixon's lawsuit while in Bali.
RadarOnline.com told you first that process server Daniel John Ayoub handed Simmons the papers at Gdas Bali Health And Wellness Resort, owned by the Phat Farm creator, on March 5 around 12:30 PM local time.
Simmons has since argued that none of the "statements alleged in the Complaint are defamatory as a matter of law, because all the statements are opinion — not fact — and Plaintiff is not clearly identifiable in any of the statements" in a new court filing.
In her lawsuit, Dixon zeroed in on statements made by Simmons during a Dec. podcast interview in which he allegedly attempted to discredit rape accusations against him from six women.
"Yeah, [rape is] a serious word, but I think they've changed the meaning," he said during his appearance on In Depth With Graham Basinger.
Simmons also claimed he had "never been forceful" in his relationships and that all were consensual. "If you had more foursomes than most guys at once, could someone leave and feel hurt? Could some reimagine a story out of thousands of people? Could someone want notoriety in the market where people thirst for fame, even infamous," he stated during the interview.
According to Dixon's lawyer, the hip-hop mogul has "gone on a concerted and malicious campaign to discredit Ms. Dixon and to so damage her reputation," which is why she took legal action.
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Furthermore, "this defamation has exacerbated the paralyzation of Ms. Dixon professionally," it was noted, adding that Simmons "subjected Ms. Dixon to public ridicule, contempt, and disgrace by, among other things, calling Ms. Dixon a liar in published statements with the malicious intent of discrediting and further damaging Ms. Dixon worldwide."
According to his latest filing, "He did not even mention Plaintiff by name (or anyone for that matter), when expressing these opinions," giving him reason to believe the lawsuit should be tossed.
Simmons argued that his aforementioned statements "are not defamatory as a matter of law."