Russell Simmons is being accused of forging a woman’s signature on a document that supposedly dates back nearly 30 years. A lawsuit filed by “Jane Doe,” a former Def Jam Recordings employee who claims to be another one of Simmons’ sexual assault victims, suggests the Def Jam co-founder falsified a document.
Court docs explain Ms. Doe felt appalled when Simmons, without remorse, failed to acknowledge the gravity of his alleged assault on her. Only after learning of potential legal action in November 2023 as part of the Adult Survivors Act did he express a vague apology through a friend. Later, during legal proceedings, it emerged that a document purportedly settling their dispute existed. However, this document raised several red flags: inconsistencies in dates, handwriting and company letterhead.
“The document is an Adobe pdf file titled ‘Agreement – Jane Doe v. Russell Simmons,’ although the words ‘[Doe] – Executed Document.pdf’ also appear in the body of the file at the top of each page,” the docs state. “The metadata for the file states ‘Created: March 24, 2024.’ The document is dated ‘January 9, 1997’ at the top of each page, but states ‘[Jane Doe] 1-6-97′ at the bottom of each page.”
Ms. Doe denies ever signing it and contests its authenticity. Even if genuine, the document’s scope doesn’t cover her rape claim against Simmons, focusing instead on her departure from Def Jam and minor financial matters. Simmons’ behavior post-dating the alleged agreement, including confrontational actions, undermines its validity. Thus, even if the document were authentic—which Doe’s attorneys insist isn’t—it wouldn’t release Doe’s claims of rape against Simmons.
Doe is requesting “general, punitive and economic damages for loss of employment, loss of business opportunities, loss of wages.” She also wants Simmons and to compensate her “for injuries suffered as a result of the unlawful conduct alleged herein.”
Simmons has been hit with multiple lawsuits since 2017. Doe is one of 20 women who allege abuse at the hands of Simmons, who vehemently denies the allegations. In 2023, he sat down for an interview on “In Depth with Graham Bensinger” in which he discussed the controversy.
“I’ve never been violent to anybody,” Simmons said. “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.”
Simmons revealed he also had “thousands” of sexual partners, adding, “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.” He said the number of women he slept with was in part due to the culture at the time.
“I think that the culture and the climate was different, and the way people interacted was different,” he said. “I think to judge 40 years ago as if it was today, we get in trouble. We have to accept where we were and move on and be somewhere else in the future if we don’t like where we were. And I think we’re doing that now. And I think that’s the good that comes with Me Too.”
He also said he’d taken “nine lie detector tests,” in which he attested to having “never done this to anyone.”
