Former Arista Data govt Drew Dixon has filed a lawsuit towards L.A. Reid, alleging the music mogul frequently harassed and sexually assaulted her twice in 2001 whereas she was working for him, in keeping with courtroom information obtained by Rolling Stone.
Dixon sued within the Southern District of New York on Wednesday underneath the Grownup Survivors Act, which opened up a one-year window for victims of sexual offenses to file a civil go well with towards their abuser outdoors the statute of limitations’ expiration date. The window closes on November 24, 2023.
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Dixon has been a vocal supporter of the 2022 act after coming forward to The New York Instances in 2017 to accuse Russell Simmons — one other mega producer who co-founded Def Jam Recordings — of rape. (Simmons denied her declare.) In that very same interview, there was a short point out that Dixon additionally confronted continued harassment from Antonio Marquis “L.A.” Reid throughout her music profession. On the time, Reid mentioned in an announcement he apologized if his phrases had been “misinterpreted.”
Within the go well with, Dixon claims her encounters with Reid went past simply harassment, but additionally two situations of sexual assault, as soon as on a non-public aircraft and one other in a again of Reid’s non-public automobile. “L.A. Reid is a identified predator, who makes use of his singular skilled energy to drive himself on his victims,” Dixon mentioned in an announcement offered to Rolling Stone. “In my case, his persistent marketing campaign of sexual harassment and assault pressured me to desert the work I cherished after I was on the high of my recreation within the music enterprise, having labored my approach up from internships and a job as a receptionist.”
In 2017, Reid departed from Epic Records — the place he was the chairman and CEO — after an assistant accused the manager of sexual harassment. The criticism was made to Epic’s mother or father firm Sony Music, and Selection reported there have been “a number of” accusations leveled towards Reid. The music govt, who’s beginning a new record label with Usher, is credited for serving to set up the careers of Usher, Mariah Carey, TLC, and Avril Lavigne, amongst many others. (Reid couldn’t be instantly reached for remark.)
Dixon’s profession was on the rise when she arrived at Arista Data in 1996, in keeping with the go well with, becoming a member of the label as Senior Director of A&R after leaving Def Jam in 1995 following Simmons’ alleged sexual assault. She labored her approach as much as Vice President of A&R by the point Reid was delivered to Arista Data as CEO and president in 2000. “Nearly instantly … Mr. Reid started sexualizing and harassing Ms. Dixon,” the lawsuit claims.
Even earlier than his begin date, Reid allegedly invited Dixon to tour residences with him, as he was relocating from Atlanta to New York Metropolis for the brand new place. Though Dixon was underneath the impression that Reid’s spouse could be current on the viewings, she arrived to search out it was simply going to be herself, Reid and the true property agent. “Throughout the whole afternoon of showings, Mr. Reid made flirtatious feedback,” the go well with claims. “It was so pervasive that it prompted the realtor to remark to Ms. Dixon privately that he was left with the impression that Mr. Reid was ‘in love along with her.’”
In January 2001, Dixon’s go well with alleges that she was invited on a non-public aircraft to journey with Reid and different senior executives to an organization retreat in Puerto Rico. Once more, Dixon arrived to search out that she was alone with Reid, who allegedly started “flirting along with her immediately.” Whereas ready for the others, the go well with claims, Reid requested for Dixon to sit down subsequent to him and go over work supplies, however he allegedly started “enjoying along with her hair, kissing her and digitally penetrat[ing] her vulva with out her consent.” For the rest of the journey, Dixon alleges she had her assistant by her aspect so as to keep away from Reid’s sexual advances.
Again in New York following the journey, Dixon alleges that she tried to “navigate the treacherous stability between sustaining a working relationship with out succumbing to Mr. Reid’s sexual advances,” reminiscent of avoiding his late-night cellphone calls, turning down his requests of conferences in lodge rooms, and sporting frumpy clothes that Reid didn’t like.
Nonetheless, the go well with claims, Reid grew sad with Dixon and retaliated towards her by allegedly being unprofessional and embarrassing her in entrance of her colleagues. In some circumstances, Dixon claims that Reid would shoot down or blow off potential artists that she introduced into Arista Data, together with a younger Kanye West and John Legend.
At one other level in 2001, Dixon claims that following a piece occasion that Reid provided her a trip house in his non-public automobile so they might end some work and take heed to a demo from Alice Smith. Dixon claims she accepted the supply as a result of Reid’s driver could be current.
“Shortly into the trip,” the go well with alleges, “Mr. Reid once more, with out Ms. Dixon’s permission or consent started to grope and kiss Ms. Dixon, who squirmed and pushed him away as Mr. Reid’s driver stared straight forward. When Mr. Reid complained and have become visibly irritated along with her lack of compliance, Ms. Dixon froze. Mr. Reid once more digitally penetrated Ms. Dixon’s vulva with out her consent.”
Following the alleged assault, Dixon claims her profession suffered at Arista as a result of Reid, who allegedly would “instantly reply” to the rejection by out of the blue slashing or freezing promotional and recording budgets for Dixon’s artists and vetoing their track demos and auditions.
Ultimately, feeling there was no pathway ahead not solely at Arista however within the music business usually, Dixon resigned and enrolled at Harvard Enterprise College in 2002. She alleges her profession by no means recovered and whilst lately as 2017, Reid was allegedly interfering along with her profession.
As a part of the civil go well with, Dixon is in search of common and punitive damages and authorized charges. Dixon’s lawyer Kenya Davis added in an announcement given to Rolling Stone, “Drew was on the pinnacle of her profession, collaborating with music legends and figuring out future stars when she started working carefully with L.A. Reid, who up till that point was a trusted business peer. As quickly as he turned CEO of Arista Data, he leveraged his place of authority to sexually harass and assault her. The Grownup Survivors Act is a essential instrument in holding perpetrators accountable, and we look ahead to preventing for Drew and different victims of sexual misconduct whose careers have suffered because of them talking out.”
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