Lawsuit
Russell Simmons has launched a lawsuit against HBO for $20 million over the release of the 2020 documentary, On The Record, which detailed a number of he mogul’s sexual assault allegations. Simmons also named the filmmakers behind the production of the documentary.
Russell Simmons, 67, filed the lawsuit in a Manhattan court on Tuesday (June 3), naming HBO and On The Record direcctors, Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick as reported by Deadline. In the summons that was filed in court, Simmons’ lawyer Imran Ansari laid out their offensive move.
“Despite voluminous support for Mr Simmons in the form of credible information, persuasive evidence, witness statements, and calls for further investigation by notable members of the media, politics, and the civil rights movement, the defendants simply disregarded it, and released, and continue to re-release globally, a film that tremendously disparaged and damaged Mr Simmons with salacious and defamatory accusations that he vehemently denies,” Ansari and co-counsel Carla DiMare shared in a statement.
Although the statute of limitations for defamation has long since expired, Simmons and his team are hoping to move things in their favor because the documentary was shown in the global market, thus resetting the timeline.
HBO sidestepped the lawsuit, calling it unfounded according to Deadline‘s report.
“We dispute Mr. Simmons’ allegations, stand by the filmmakers and their process, and will vigorously defend ourselves against these unfounded allegations,” a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Discovery shared with the outlet.
Russell Simmons’ team claims that evidence could potentially alter the timeline of events and give new weight to the Def Jam Records co-founder’s stance that the dozens of women who allege that he assaulted them are selling a falsehood.
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Russell Simmons is suing HBO for defamation over a 2020 documentary focused on the sexual assault allegations against him, claiming the film disregarded evidence in his favor — including “CIA-grade polygraph results” and Oprah Winfrey’s withdrawal from the project.
In a complaint filed Tuesday (June 3) in Manhattan court, attorneys for Simmons say the movie On The Record defamed him by ignoring key information — including from over 20 witnesses — that would have “refuted and rebutted” the allegations that were “falsely made against plaintiff in the film.”
“The evidence and information were made available to defendants, including then CEO of WarnerMedia John Stankey, Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, Casey Bloys,” the star’s lawyers write. “However, the Defendants disregarded and/or suppressed said materials.”
Spokespeople for HBO and parent company Warner Bros. Discovery did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday (June 4).
Simmons, who founded Def Jam Recordings in 1984 and later built a formidable hip-hop empire, has faced a slew of abuse allegations since 2017 — first in an investigative article by the New York Times, then in the HBO doc. The film, directed by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, centered on claims made by Drew Dixon, a former A&R at Def Jam who says Simmons raped her, but also featured interviews with several other alleged victims.
In his complaint, Simmons says he provided HBO and the filmmakers with ample evidence that was “supportive and favorable” to him and would have countered those allegations. And he says the network was urged to consider that info by “luminaries in media and politics,” including “civil rights leaders and members of Congress.”
Simmons says the favorable evidence included “nine consecutive credible and favorable CIA-grade polygraph results” — presumably tests taken by him about the accusations. He also says HBO ignored the fact that Winfrey, the movie’s original executive producer, had withdrawn her support after “publicly noting inconsistencies in the accusations.”
“Defendants willfully, and/or recklessly, disregarded and suppressed said information and evidence, and published, and continue to republish defamatory content,” attorneys for Simmons wrote.
The lawsuit could face procedural challenges. The statute of limitations for libel lawsuits in New York is one year, a limit that has clearly lapsed for a movie released in 2020. Simmons’ lawyers will likely argue that he has continued to be defamed by new re-issues of the documentary, particularly in foreign markets.
The new case is a role reversal for Simmons, who has already been on the receiving end of a defamation lawsuit from Dixon over claims that he defamed her by suggesting during a podcast interview that she was lying about her allegations. He’s also facing a sexual assault lawsuit from another unnamed alleged victim.
NPR, the longstanding public broadcasting network, is standing up to President Donald Trump’s war on the media after filing a lawsuit this week. On Tuesday (May 27), NPR and three Colorado public radio stations filed a lawsuit stating that President Trump’s executive order to cut funding for the network and PBS is unconstitutional.
In a report from the network, NPR, Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio, and KSUT filed a suit in a District of Columbia court alleging that Trump’s sweeping executive order to end funding to the entities is a violation of their constitutional right to free speech.
“It is not always obvious when the government has acted with a retaliatory purpose in violation of the First Amendment. ‘But this wolf comes as a wolf,’” reads a portion of the lawsuit filing. “The Order targets NPR and PBS expressly because, in the President’s view, their news and other content is not ‘fair, accurate, or unbiased.’”
President Trump, White House budget director Russell Vought, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Maria Rosario Jackson, the chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, are all named as defendants.
“The Executive Order is a clear violation of the Constitution and the First Amendment’s protections for freedom of speech and association, and freedom of the press,” NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher added in a statement.
U.S. District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss is overseeing the matter. The same judge is also overseeing a similar case with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) also suing President Trump.
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DaBaby has won a court order tossing out assault and battery claims over a 2022 brawl with the brother of his ex-girlfriend DaniLeigh, though the rapper could still be on the hook financially as the case continues against a bowling alley where the attack allegedly occurred. Los Angeles County judge Huey P. Cotton released an […]
Salt-N-Pepa, the legendary Hip-Hop group that amassed several hit songs in the 1980s through the 1990s, is currently fighting for the rights to their master recordings. Salt-N-Pepa filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG), claiming that the label is violating copyright law by not giving the rights back to the group.
The Associated Press reports that Salt-N-Pepa, separately known as Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton, are angling to see the master recordings of their previously released material returned to them, especially as their music has viability in today’s market. Adding to this, many legacy acts are cashing via the ownership of their catalogs.
James and Denton asserted in their filing that they have rights to their music due to the Copyright Act of 1976, which allows artists to do away with previously signed deals and reclaim their master recordings.
This has been an ongoing fight for years after Salt-N-Pepa attempted to regain their master recordings but were rebuffed by UMG. The legal back and forth between the group and the label sparked UMG to remove its musical catalog from DSPs.
“UMG has indicated that it will hold Plaintiffs’ rights hostage even if it means tanking the value of Plaintiffs’ music catalogue and depriving their fans of access to their work,” a portion of the lawsuit read.
Salt-N-Pepa made their debut in 1986 with their album Hot, Cool & Vicious, produced by Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor. The group is also hoping to obtain the rights back to tracks like “Push It,” a song that has been used in movies and commercials several times since its release.
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UMG (Universal Music Group) has filed a motion to have Drake’s amended lawsuit against his recording label dismissed, calling the rapper’s allegations “asthoning” in their filing. Drake filed a lawsuit against UMG at the top of the year over Kendrick Lamar’s hit diss record “Not Like Us” and has accused the label of defaming him.
As reported by Variety, UMG is responding to Drake’s claims made in the amended lawsuit, and the Canadian superstar is charging the label with heavily promoting the song, which features a lyric accusing him of being a pedophile.
The initial lawsuit came just as news surfaced that Kendrick Lamar would be the halftime performer at this year’s Super Bowl, and it was anticipated that “Not Like Us,” one of the biggest hit records of 2024, would be a centerpiece. It appeared that Drake wanted to get ahead of the noise regarding the track. Lamar did perform the track but altered the lyrics in question.
UMG, which filed its motion on Wednesday (May 7), had their legal representation address Drake’s amended lawsuit straight away, while seemingly taking a dig at the OVO honcho.
“As Drake concedes, Lamar’s Super Bowl performance did not include the lyric that Drake or his associates are ‘certified pedophiles’ (i.e., the alleged ‘Defamatory Material’ that is at the heart of this case). The focus of Drake’s new claims—that ‘the largest audience for a Super Bowl halftime show ever’ did not hear Lamar call Drake or his crew pedophiles—betrays this case for what it is: Drake’s attack on the commercial and creative success of the rap artist who defeated him, rather than the content of Lamar’s lyrics.”
Drake has not responded publicly to the entered motion as of yet.
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Smokey Robinson and his wife were named in a $50 million lawsuit brought by four housekeepers who allege that the singer raped and abused them for almost 20 years. The four unnamed housekeepers say Smokey Robinson forced them to have sex in his Los Angeles home between 2007 to 2024.
We wish to urge caution in proceeding, as the details of the acts explained in the lawsuit filing might be disturbing to some.
Billboard reports that the lawsuit was filed on Tuesday (May 6) in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The four housekeepers say that the alleged acts took place at Smokey Robinson’s home in the Chatsworth neighborhood.
“Plaintiffs did not consent to defendant Smokey Robinson’s sexual contact or touching,” John W. Harris, an attorney representing the four housekeepers, wrote in the initial filing. “Plaintiffs explicitly told defendant Robinson on numerous occasions that they were not interested in his advances and objected to his forceful, physical, sexual, and harmful conduct.”
The four Jane Does, all numbered in sequence as such, stated in the filing that Robinson would have them come inside his bedroom, where he was wearing only his underwear. They claim Robinson would put down a towel and force the housekeepers to have oral and vaginal sex without protection.
One of the women say they didn’t report the crimes to the authorities “due to her fear of losing her livelihood, familial reprisal, public embarrassment, shame and humiliation to her and her family, the possible adverse effect on her immigration status, as well as being threatened and intimidated by defendant Smokey Robinson’s well-recognized celebrity status and his influential friends and associates.”
Frances Robinson, Robinson’s wife, was named in the suit for not preventing the assault and for creating an abusive and hostile working environment against the housekeepers, including allegations that she used racial slurs against them.
Smokey Robinson has yet to publicly respond to the lawsuit and the claims within.
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Source: Courtesy of Damon Dash / Damon Dash
Damon Dash’s legal troubles continue to follow him. A judge has ruled he is now facing arrest for not providing documents pertaining to lawsuit judgements.
As per XXL, the former Cake-a-holic has been given one last opportunity to provide a court information pertaining to some judgements against him. On April 29, Judge Robert W. Lehrburger ordered Dame Dash to provide detailed records about his available assets by March 10 in an effort to make good on one million dollars worth of monies due to two individuals that have seperstely sued him and won.
That deadline has since passed and the magistrate was none too pleased. In a new ruling filed on Monday (May 5), the judge extended the due date to May 9. If Damon Dash does not comply he could be arrested. “If Defendants fail to comply, the Court will find Defendants in contempt and may issue an arrest warrant for Mr. Dash to bring him to Court to respond to the discovery sought,” the documentation reads. “Additionally, sanctions will be imposed, which may include drawing adverse inferences, preclusion, and/or monetary sanctions.”
Back in 2019 filmmaker Josh Webber sued Dash for copyright infringement and defamation over the Dear Frank movie. The ruled in favor of Webber awarding him $900,000. Edwyna Brooks also filed a lawsuit against the former Roc-A-Fella executive for copyright infringement and she too was awarded the win with a $100,000 ruling. Both plaintiffs claim Dame has been hiding his assets in order to avoid payment. At this time Dash has yet to comment on the possibility of arrest.
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Misa Hylton, a celebrity stylist and designer for several stars, launched a lawsuit against one of her former clients in Mary J. Blige. Misa Hylton’s complaint alleges that the R&B singer botched a management deal for Harlem rapper Vado, and she’s suing Mary J. Blige for $5 million.
All Hip Hop got the exclusive scoop on Misa Hylton’s and her talent agency, M.I.S.A. Management’s lawsuit against Mary J. Blige. Hylton is accusing Blige of keeping Vado’s completed album from being released in a bid to get him to cut business relations with Hylton. Blige and Vado worked together on the non-album single, “Still Believe In Love,” in 2023.
Along with Blige, the singer’s Beautiful Life Productions is also named in the suit, with the complaint documents stating that Hylton’s company is entitled to 20 percent of Vado’s earnings. The suit also adds that Blige attempted to lure Vado away from Hylton in an attempt to break his deal with her.
The suit also names Blige’s chief of security in the suit, claiming that he wanted to sign Vado to a contract while also steering him away from Hylton’s team. That same security chief is said to be Blige’s romantic partner.
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Source: Daniel LEAL / AFP / Daniel LEAL / AFP
The lawsuit filed by Drake against Universal Music Group was amended Wednesday (April 16) to include a new complaint, specifically that the music label used Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy wins and his Super Bowl halftime show performance of “Not Like Us” to promote the single and damage his reputation further. The new addition makes the suit 107 pages in total to account for new allegations.The new complaint states that the halftime performance by Kendrick Lamar, which was seen by 133 million people “including millions of children,” who had “never before heard the song or any of the songs that preceded it. It was the first, and will hopefully be the last, Super Bowl halftime show orchestrated to assassinate the character of another artist.” It goes on to allege that Kendrick Lamar purposefully excluded the word “pedophile” from the song, stating that “on information and belief” that he wouldn’t have been able to perform without that exclusion. The suit also claims that UMG caused intentional harm by negotiating the performance and promoting it afterward, as well as citing that the use of a photo of his Toronto home led to a shooting incident days after the release.The legal team for Drake also claimed that UMG CEO Lucian Grainge hugged and gave a high-five to Dr. Dre as “Not Like Us” played at the Grammy Awards (a YouTube clip of the interaction that was posted doesn’t have the song in the background, however) and that the crowd was singing along to “Not Like Us,” which would win Song and Record of the Year. Another allegation that remains is that bots were used by UMG to push the song on streaming platforms like Spotify. The claim was initially floated by an undisclosed person who appeared on DJ Akademiks’ show to claim he was paid to push the songs by Interscope.UMG issued a lengthy and bruising response to the amended complaint shortly after, writing in part: “Two weeks ago, his representatives celebrated a ‘win’: the granting of a routine discovery motion. That ‘win’ will become a loss if this frivolous and reckless lawsuit is not dropped in its entirety because Drake will personally be subject to discovery as well. As the old saying goes, ‘be careful what you wish for.’”