Russell Simmons Ordered To Pay $3 Million To Sexual Assault Accusers
Russell Simmons has been ordered to fork over $3 million in payouts after failing to comply with lawsuit settlements he struck with three of his sexual assault accusers.
According to court documents obtained by Variety, the confessions of judgment were filed against the mogul on the alleged victims’ behalf on Wednesday (Oct. 2) in New York County Supreme Court.
Simmons previously agreed to the confessions of judgement as part of his individual settlements with Sil Lai Abrams, Sherri Abernathy and Wendy Carolina Franco, all of whom have alleged they were victimized by the Def Jam Records cofounder.
A confession of judgement filing is meant to expedite the process of a plaintiff collecting money owed in lieu of a default on the settlement.
Simmons entered confidential settlement agreements with Abrams, Abernathy, and Franco in November 2023, in which he agreed to pay $1,265,000 each to Abrams and Abernathy, and $515,000 to Franco.
The plaintiffs were due to receive their settlements by Tuesday (Oct. 1), but have yet to be paid.
While the extent of Simmons’ sexual misconduct towards Abernathy and Franco were not detailed in the settlement, Abrams previously accused Simmons of raping her during an encounter in 1994, one of several allegations of sexual assault against the Queens, New York native.
Simmons, who currently resides in Bali, maintains his innocence against all allegations and admitted no wrongdoing as part of his settlements.
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