Russell Simmons has been maintaining his innocence in the face of several accusations of sexual harassment. Still, the allegations keep coming, as a filmmaker is now suing the Def Jam founder for $5 million in damages.
Jennifer Jarosik, 37, a documentary filmmaker, claims Simmons raped her at his Hollywood Hills, California home in 2016, according to The Los Angeles Times.
According to court documents, Jarosik alleged that Simmons invited her to his home to discuss her documentary film project in August 2016. When she refused his advances for sex, he got aggressive and pushed her onto his bed.
She claims Simmons knocked her off his bed, causing her to hit her head, and raped her while she was “in shock and fear.”
Jarosik’s attorney, Perry Wander, says his client didn’t report the attack because she was afraid it would negatively affect her career. Wander also claims Jarosik confronted Simmons over text messages after the first allegations emerged late last year. Simmons denied the accusations and stopped responding, according to the attorney.
Nearly a dozen women have come forward to accuse the hip-hop mogul of rape and sexual assault over three decades. At least three of the women alleged Simmons raped them. He will reportedly be represented in court by former Atlanta mayoral candidate Michael Sterling, who is also the boyfriend of model Eva Marcille, according to The Jasmine Brand.
