L.A. Reid Accused Of Sexual Assault By Former Arista Records Executive In Lawsuit
Warning: The following article contains triggering language related to sexual assault, abuse, and rape.
L.A. Reid, former CEO of Epic Records, has been accused of sexual assault in a new lawsuit. According to Rolling Stone, Drew Dixon, an ex-Arista Records executive, filed a suit against Reid on Wednesday (Nov. 8).
According to the suit, Dixon arrived at Arista in 1996 and began ascending through the company around 2000. By the time Reid arrived at Arista as the new CEO and president, Dixon had settled in her new role as vice president of A&R.
The suit alleges that before Reid started his new position, he invited her to scout out a new apartment in New York City. She was under the impression that Reid’s wife would be there with them, but Dixon arrived to find out that it was Reid, the real estate agent, and herself. L.A. began making a series of unwanted advances during the apartment viewing, she alleges.
“During the entire afternoon of showings, Mr. Reid made flirtatious comments. It was so pervasive that it caused the realtor to comment to Ms. Dixon privately that he was left with the impression that Mr. Reid was ‘in love with her,'” the lawsuit reads.
In 2001, Reid began “almost immediately…sexualizing and harassing Ms. Dixon,” the lawsuit alleges. After a series of unwanted advances and refusing his flirtatious comments, Reid’s behavior towards her became toxic. “[L.A. Reid] retaliated against her by embarrassing her in front of others or otherwise being curt and unprofessional,” her suit reads. “Promotional and recording budgets were suddenly reduced dramatically or frozen altogether. Song demos and artist auditions were flatly rejected.”
Dixon’s suit claims the mogul sexually assaulted her twice in 2001. The former executive explained that her interactions with Reid were inappropriate and went beyond harassment. The first instance she recalled was a moment when he sexually assaulted her on a private plane. Drew also detailed that she was assaulted in the back of one of his private cars.
Reid offered to give Dixon a ride back after an event. He insisted they could listen to a new demo from Alice Smith during the car ride. Drew said she agreed to the ride because Reid’s driver would be present. However, the driver’s presence allegedly didn’t matter.
“Shortly into the ride, Mr. Reid again, without Ms. Dixon’s permission or consent, began to grope and kiss Ms. Dixon, who squirmed and pushed him away as Mr. Reid’s driver stared straight ahead. When Mr. Reid complained and became visibly irritated with her lack of compliance, Ms. Dixon froze. Mr. Reid again digitally penetrated Ms. Dixon’s vulva without her consent,” the suit alleged.
Additionally, the television producer released a statement to Rolling Stone calling out L.A.’s historically abhorrent behavior. She described the man as a “known predator” with a power trip.
“L.A. Reid is a known predator who uses his singular professional power to force himself on his victims,” Dixon’s statement reads. “In my case, his persistent campaign of sexual harassment and assault forced me to abandon the work I loved when I was at the top of my game in the music business, having worked my way up from internships and a job as a receptionist.”
Dixon’s suit was filed in the Southern District of New York under the Adult Survivors Act. The legislation was established in May 2022 and allowed victims of sexual offenses to file a civil suit against their abuser outside the statute of limitations expiration date of one year. Reid has yet to comment on the accusations.
Drew Dixon previously accused Russell Simmons of rape in 2017. She told The New York Times then that she was still weighing her legal options regarding the Def Jam cofounder.
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