Music Executive LA Reid Accused of Sexual Assault in Lawsuit – LA Reid, the music mogul recognized for nurturing talents like Mariah Carey, Pink, TLC, and Usher, faces a lawsuit from former music executive Drew Dixon, who alleges sexual assault incidents over two decades ago. Dixon claims her career suffered after rebuffing Reid’s advances, including assaults in 2001, and is now seeking damages in a Manhattan federal court.
Dixon filed a lawsuit under New York state’s Adult Survivors Act, allowing adults a one-year window to sue for alleged past sexual abuse, even if the statutes of limitations have expired; this window closes this month. She is one of many women accusing prominent figures in the entertainment industry of sexual misconduct since the #MeToo movement began in 2017, following accusations against now-imprisoned movie producer Harvey Weinstein.
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Currently a board member at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, Dixon featured in the 2020 HBO Max documentary “On the Record,” addressing sexual misconduct allegations against rap mogul Russell Simmons. In December 2017, seven months after Reid departed from his role as Epic Records chief, Dixon publicly accused him of misconduct, adding to the allegations of improper behavior during his tenure.
Reid told the New York Times at the time in response to Dixon’s accusations: “I’m proud of my track record promoting, supporting and uplifting women at every company I’ve ever run. That notwithstanding, if I have ever said anything capable of being misinterpreted, I apologize unreservedly.” Dixon stated that Reid began the harassment shortly after joining Arista in 2000.
The initial incident took place in January 2001 on a private plane en route to a Puerto Rico retreat, where he inappropriately touched her hair, kissed her, and engaged in non-consensual penetration. The second assault occurred several months later during a ride home from a New York event, involving unwanted groping, kissing, and penetration without consent. According to the complaint, Dixon’s career had earlier been on a “meteoric trajectory” that led one industry insider to brand her the “female Rick Rubin”.
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Dixon mentioned that the situation ended when Reid turned “hostile” due to her resistance against his requests, such as late-night hotel meetings and wearing skirts instead of jeans. This resistance led to slashed budgets and rejected artists. Consequently, she exited the industry in 2002 to attend Harvard Business School. Reid’s “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”, Dixon said in a statement provided by her lawyers.