Drew Dixon, who is suing L.A. Reid for sexual assault, says the former CEO of Epic Records turned down signing Kanye West, John Legend, and more artists she suggested meeting with due to spite stemming from her rejection of his sexual advances. She explained the allegations in court documents obtained by AllHipHop.
“Following the second sexual assault in Mr. Reid’s car, Ms. Dixon intensified her efforts to avoid Mr. Reid,” Dixon’s lawyers explained. “However, Mr. Reid persisted in trying to corner her alone by inviting her to meetings in his hotel room night after night. When Ms. Dixon resisted his efforts, Mr. Reid grew angry and increasingly hostile towards her, as well as to her artists, and her ideas. This was a drastic reversal from Mr. Reid’s enthusiasm about her creative taste and instincts over the years, and harm came from the fact that Mr. Reid would directly respond to Ms. Dixon’s rejection of his sexual advances by punishing the artists Ms. Dixon had already signed or by blocking the artists she attempted to sign. This included future superstars like Kanye West, John Legend and Toya.”
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Overall, Dixon is accusing Reid of sexually assaulting her twice while they worked together at Arista Records. She cites sexual battery, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and gender-motivated violence. With the lawsuit, Dixon says the allegations are covered by New York’s Adult Survivors Act. “While Defendant’s first false imprisonment of Plaintiff took place in flight on his private plane, the acts that made this unlawful confinement possible took place in Manhattan within the Court’s territorial jurisdiction in the Southern District of New York,” Dixon’s lawyers said.
They further argued: “As described in the Complaint … the planning, scheduling and booking for the Arista Records retreat was completed by Arista Records staff based in Manhattan at an address located in the Southern District of New York. Karen Kwak, the Manhattan-based administrator who deceived Ms. Dixon into believing she and Mr. Reid would be traveling to Puerto Rico with a group of executives, told her of this fake plan at the Arista Records office in Manhattan, which is located in the Southern District of New York. Thus, a substantial part of the acts associated with Mr. Reid’s first false imprisonment of Ms. Dixon occurred within the Southern District of New York—without which the confinement would not have been possible.” It’s unclear what Dixon is seeking in damages. Be on the lookout for further updates on L.A. Reid as well as Drew Dixon’s lawsuit on HotNewHipHop.
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