L.A. Reid decided he did not want to face a jury after all, settling a sexual assault lawsuit with former music executive Drew Dixon just hours before opening statements were scheduled to begin Monday morning (January 12).
The Grammy-winning producer who helped launch the careers of Usher, OutKast, and Pink reached an agreement with Dixon that keeps the terms completely secret from the public.
Reid’s lawyer, Imran Ansari, said his client resolved the matter without admitting any wrongdoing or liability for the allegations.
Dixon filed her lawsuit in 2023 under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which gave sexual assault victims a one-year window to sue regardless of when the incidents happened. She accused Reid of digitally penetrating her during a private jet flight in 2001 and again later that year inside his car while he served as president and CEO of Arista Records.
The former Arista executive claimed Reid retaliated against her career after she started avoiding him following the alleged assaults.
According to court documents, Dixon suffered daily harassment from Reid, including demands that she wear skirts and high heels to work. She also received constant invitations to meet Reid in his hotel room, which she consistently refused.
Dixon’s lawsuit detailed how her promotional budgets were slashed and her artist auditions were rejected after she rebuffed Reid’s advances.
On one occasion, when she brought Kanye West in for an audition, Reid allegedly berated her in front of the entire staff about her job performance. Dixon said Reid would embarrass her in front of other staff members and act unprofessionally toward her, ultimately forcing her out of the music industry entirely.
She later worked with John Legend as general manager at Legend’s Homeschool Records label after leaving the major-label system. Legend was expected to take the witness stand during the trial, as Dixon claimed Reid refused to sign the singer as an act of revenge against her.
Reid exited his position as chairman and CEO of Epic Records in 2017 after facing sexual misconduct allegations from an assistant at Sony Music. The music executive has maintained his innocence in all cases but chose to settle rather than face a public trial.
The settlement comes as Dixon continues fighting a separate legal battle against Russell Simmons, the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings.
Dixon filed a defamation lawsuit against Simmons in February 2024, claiming he damaged her reputation by publicly denying her rape allegations during media interviews.
Dixon first accused Simmons of raping her in 1995 in a 2017 interview, joining more than 20 women who have made similar allegations against the Hip-Hop mogul.
Simmons has denied all accusations and currently lives in Indonesia, which helped him avoid jurisdiction in previous sexual assault lawsuits.
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