Russell Simmons Loses Latest Round In Court Over $10 Million Sexual Assault Case

Russell Simmons 

Russell Simmons Loses Latest Round In Court Over $10 Million Sexual Assault Case

New developments have taken place in the sexual assault case against Russell Simmons. As previously reported, a woman, whose identity is anonymous, sued Simmons for $10 million. She claimed that he sexually assaulted her and threatened her son. While her lawsuit doesn’t say when the alleged assault happen, Simmons claimed that her legal team told his lawyers via email it happened in 1988. If this is the case, her lawsuit is outside of the two-year statute of limitations.

Russell Simmons

Still, the email won’t be allowed as evidence to prove Simmons’ case because it was related to settlement negotiations. So, L.A. Superior Court Judge Marc Gross shut down Simmons’ request to get the case tossed out.

Gross said according to court documents,

“[A]dmissions made during the course of settlement negotiations are inadmissible. Here, defendant relies on the email to prove plaintiff’s claims are barred. However, it is clear the information in the email was disclosed in the course of settlement negotiations.”

Simmons’ team also pointed out that the woman said he attacked her in a Clarion Hotel, which has since closed down. They said this could also prove that the alleged incident happened beyond the statute of limitations. But the judge wasn’t convinced by this either.

“[T]his is not simply new evidence but an entirely new argument that could have been raised in the moving papers. Thus, the court, in its discretion, will not consider the new argument or evidence filed with the reply papers.”

Meanwhile, Simmons issued a sworn declaration in May that he’s innocent.

“Russell Simmons has, from the beginning, categorically denied these disgusting and purposely sensationalized allegations. He has repeatedly declared that he has never violated any woman, nor would he ever assault another human, let alone threaten a child.

“In hiding the identity of the accuser and even the alleged date of the accusation, an unscrupulous lawyer is attempting deny Mr. Simmons his basic constitutional rights to due process. The allegation claimed a date of 1988, asking for $10 million. After realizing that the extortionate claim would fail because 1988 is outside the statute of limitations, the plaintiff’s lawyer now refuses to provide the date of the alleged incident on a technicality. We fully expect the courts to see through this abuse of the legal system.

“Mr. Simmons has candidly chronicled every aspect of his entire life in countless books, interviews and articles for decades, and has submitted his claim of innocence to contemporaneous witness statements and an unprecedented 10 lie detector tests. Those who know him and his work see right through these desperate shakedowns.”

See the court documents below.

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