Russell Simmons was recently served in Bali and learned that he was the target of a defamation lawsuit from Drew Dixon, who has accused the mogul of sexual assault. Russell Simmons is asking that the lawsuit from Drew Dixon be dismissed because he never mentioned the music executive’s name in recent comments about the claims he’s facing.
Radar Online reports that Russell Simmons, 66, is angling to have Dixon’s defamation lawsuit tossed out after being served on March 5 while at the Gdas Bali Health And Wellness Resort.
From Radar Online:
Simmons has since argued that none of the “statements alleged in the Complaint are defamatory as a matter of law, because all the statements are opinion — not fact — and Plaintiff is not clearly identifiable in any of the statements” in a new court filing.
In her lawsuit, Dixon zeroed in on statements made by Simmons during a Dec. podcast interview in which he allegedly attempted to discredit rape accusations against him from six women.
Simmons was a guest on In Depth With Graham Besinger where he explained that he was never “forceful” in his relationships and that anything physical between another woman was consensual.
“If you had more foursomes than most guys at once, could someone leave and feel hurt? Could some reimagine a story out of thousands of people? Could someone want notoriety in the market where people thirst for fame, even infamous,” Simmons said.
Dixon’s legal team wrote that Simmons has, “gone on a concerted and malicious campaign to discredit Ms. Dixon and to so damage her reputation.”
Simmons maintains that he was speaking generally and not about anyone specific.
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Photo: VALERIE MACON / Getty
