Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons unaffiliated himself with his many businesses this past November following a handful of sexual assault and rape accusations from various women. Despite his continual denial of these accusations – both to the press and in a court of law – a new alleged victim of Simmons’ has come forward.
The latest allegations, which bring Simmons’ number of accusers to over a dozen, come form Alexia Norton Jones through an interview with Variety, who claims that Simmons attempted to rape her while the two were on a date. Jones alleges that the date ended with her returning to Simmons’ apartment, where he attempted to sexually assault her in what Jones describes as “such a fast attack”: “He pulled my dress up. I must have said no seven to ten times.”
Jones filed a police report regarding the incident last year from her home state of Arizona – but states that her sharing her experience isn’t a means of acquiring monetary damages, but rather to stand in solidarity with other victims of Simmons’ abuse amidst “his denials of violence toward other women.” Simmons denied these allegations in a press release, stating that he’s “deeply saddened by this story from Alexia,” who he considered “a friend.”
