An anonymous woman who is accusing Russell Simmons of a 1988 sexual assault was in a Los Angeles courtroom on Thursday (April 18). The judge explained to both Simmons’ attorney and the woman’s attorney he needs the proper dismissal paperwork in order to toss out the 31-year-old case.
Simmons’ court docs from last December state the “complaint is based on the outrageous and fictional claim that Mr. Simmons raped her in Sacramento, California in 1988 after threatening to molest her young son. The statute of limitations for a personal injury claim under California law is two years.”
However, the judge explained Simmons didn’t provide any proof of residency or shown he’d even traveled to California — despite currently having two children in Los Angeles schools. Subsequently, the judge refused to sanction the accuser and is demanding the proper paperwork.
The Hip Hop mogul still believes this entire case is nothing more than a ploy for fame.
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“I’m amazed that this is still going on,” Simmons said in a statement to HipHopDX. “That a lawyer can take a ridiculous case like this and cost me a fortune to defend, maybe he should come to Hollywood where extortion is going on everyday and join the fun.
“I think it’s sad he wasn’t sanctioned and it’s sad Hollywood is on fire. The only thing I worry about in this is the constant media affecting my daughters. I tell them almost daily God will sort it out and she will.”
The woman’s lawyer, Douglas Mastroianni, wants to see the case through. He argued in court on Thursday, “Remarkably, while the motion argues that the complaint lacks merit, Russell Simmons does not even file a declaration with the court denying that he raped [her].
“Having fled the jurisdiction — demonstrating both a lack of courage and a lack of responsibility to his victims, Russell Simmons won’t even sign a declaration denying the sexual assault. Yet he asks the court to find the claims have no merit.”
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Simmons, who has been on a spiritual retreat in Bali, isn’t deterred.
“Today was a good day in court,” Simmons added in the statement. “The judge suggested we file a summary judgment motion for dismissal based on the California Statue of Limitations, which is two years.
“The plaintiff herself admitted that the alleged incident happened 31 years ago. The fact is her allegations are false. Still, this attempt at extortion is at its end. It’s a matter of paperwork. I’m glad to be on the road to putting this behind me.”
His lawyer Patty Glaser, who rarely does interviews, added, “An innocent man has a clear path to complete vindication.”
