(EXCLUSIVE) Russell Simmons Reaches Settlement in Battle Accusing Him of Stealing Artwork

Russell Simmons defended himself from a photographer for claiming he illegally posted his work featuring Rick Ross earlier this year, but now it seems he has had a change of heart — with the music mogul signing a confidential settlement with the man to end the legal battle against him, theJasmineBRAND.com exclusively reports.

A photographer named Armen Djerrahian filed a federal lawsuit against Russell Simmons and Global Grind. Djerrahian has worked with everyone from Jay-Z, 50 Cent to Kanye West … along with having his work featured in XXL, Vibe and many other outlets.

Djerrahian explained that back in 2010 he shot rapper Rick Ross for XXL magazine. The images show the rapper holding his hand in the shape of a gun to his head. He says that he had the image copyrighted and it is well known in the industry that he shot the photo. He accused Simmons and his website of using his Rick Ross image without permissions and he claims that they even refused to take it down once he contacted them about the alleged copyright infringement. He reportedly filed the suit demanding no less than 50k and an injunction against Simmons from using ANY of his photos in the future.