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Russell Simmons sues HBO and film-makers over documentary detailing alleged sexual abuse

Music executive claims defamation in suit seeking $20m from the film-makers and distributors of On the Record

It featured the testimony of several women who claim they were sexually assaulted by Simmons in the 1980s and 90s, when he was at the height of his influence as the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, the hip-hop label behind LL Cool J, Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys and other top acts. He seeks $20m for defamation, alleging the film-makers “disregard[ed] and/or suppressed” information provided by his representatives, according to a summons filed in Manhattan court on Tuesday by Simmons’ lawyer, Imran Ansari. “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 said in a statement.

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