Five years after the release of HBO Max documentary On the Record, Russell Simmons has filed a $20 million lawsuit against the network.
In the documentary, former A&R executive Drew Dixon and other women in the music industry accused Simmons of sexual assault. After years of denying any wrongdoing and accusing Dixon of attempted extortion, according to TMZ, Simmons claims in his lawsuit that HBO dismissed “evidence” that refuted the rape allegations.
Last year, Dixon sued Simmons for participating in a “concerted and malicious campaign to discredit” her sexual assault accusations.
In the filing, the Def Jam Records co-founder alleged that the documentary “disregarded or suppressed” over 20 witnesses who would have disproved the accusations against Simmons. The music executive claims that WarnerMedia and the company’s CEO, John Stankey, ignored “credible information” despite the alleged urging of civil rights leaders and Congress members
The lawsuit also claims Oprah Winfrey withdrew from the documentary after “publicly noting inconsistencies in the accusations.”
Simmons likewise says that the platform and project’s crew “disregarded nine consecutive credible and favorable CIA-grade polygraph” results, which he addressed in a 2023 episode of In Depth with Graham Bensinger.
The lawsuit ultimately accuses HBO of defamation, claiming Simmons underwent emotional suffering and invasion of privacy.
Two years before On the Record debuted, Simmons moved to Bali, although he denies doing so to avoid legal ramifications. More than 20 women have accused Simmons of rape, and in January, it was reported that he still owes $8 million to several accusers.
