Kevin Liles Sued For Sexual Assault By Former Def Jam Records Assistant
Written by djfrosty on February 28, 2025
Source: Greg Doherty / Getty
Kevin Liles will now have to clear his name in a court of law. A former Def Jam Records employee is suing him for sexual assault.
As per Variety, the former music executive and the famed record label are facing some serious claims from a former female employee. Jane Doe has named Universal Music Group, Def Jam Records and Kevin Liles as defendants and claims she was not only harassed at the workplace but also was sexually assaulted. Doe says she was hired as an executive assistant in 1999 and Kevin frequently made “derogatory and degrading comments based on her gender regarding her body and appearance.”
The plaintiff recalls that the treatment got progressively worse over the years. In 2002 she refused sexual advances made by Kevin Liles to which he allegedly forced himself on her and raped her. Her claim also states that executive leadership at Universal Music Group and Def Jam “not only knew or should have known” of Liles’ “propensity to commit the aforementioned crimes of violence.”
Kevin Liles has responded in an exclusive statement to Variety Magazine and refuted the allegations made against him. I absolutely deny the outrageous claims reported in the press this evening,” he said. “I wish I could share a more detailed response to this slander, but this is the first I’ve heard of this claim and the anonymous accuser’s attorney shared the lawsuit with gossip influencers and media outlets before it was even posted by the court, so my attorneys and I have not seen the actual lawsuit” he added. “My attorneys and I will fully clear my name, and when we are successful, this anonymous accuser and her attorney will face a defamation lawsuit and every other available legal consequence.”
Universal Music Group has yet to publicly comment on the matter. Kevin Liles served as the president of Def Jam and executive vice president at Island Def Jam from 1999 to 2004.