Record executive Russell Simmons contends that his move to Bali is not an attempt to escape numerous damning allegations and ongoing legal proceedings levelled against him.
- May 25, 2024
AceShowbiz - Russell Simmons, the hip-hop mogul and co-founder of Def Jam, is embroiled in a legal quagmire involving multiple accusations of sexual harassment, assault, and rape. Despite rampant speculation that Simmons relocated to Bali to escape these allegations and the subsequent legal onslaught, he firmly denies any connection between his change of residence and his legal troubles.
Addressing these rumors, Simmons expressed to AllHipHop, "People saying that I somehow can't come home when I'm there all the time wears on you. It wears on me after a while to keep hearing the same narrative, which is false. I'm always in L.A., I'm always in New York and Miami. And I've never had any reason to feel unsafe in America."
Simmons elaborated on his living situation in a statement to a New York court. He revealed, "I am not physically present in New York and I do not have an intention to live in New York in the future. I own no property in the United States."
"I have been living in Bali since 2018, which is where I intend to remain. For at least nine years before I moved to Bali, I lived in California. As a California resident, I paid California resident taxes in the years immediately prior to moving to Bali. Currently, I pay California non-resident state taxes."
In February, a former Def Jam employee, identified as Jane Doe, filed a lawsuit against Simmons, accusing him of rape during the 1990s. She also claimed that Simmons forged her signature on a document allegedly related to her exit from Def Jam. Jane Doe's amended complaint asserts that even if the document were authentic, it pertains only to minor financial matters and has no bearing on her rape allegations.
Simmons' legal team, led by Ellie Sanders, refuted the forgery claim by affirming the document's legitimacy was verified by former Def Jam executive Lyor Cohen. According to Sanders, "On Sunday, March 24, 2024, I 'flattened' the PDF version of the 1997 Agreement that our firm received via email from Simone Reyes, Mr. Simmons's colleague… I did not make any changes to the content of the PDF."
Despite the mounting legal challenges and new accusations from another former employee, Drew Dixon, who alleges that Simmons defamed her, the hip-hop executive remains adamant about his decision to stay in Bali. He consistently denies all accusations of sexual misconduct and insists that his relocation is unrelated to these claims.
