L.A. Reid Sued By Former Employee For Sexual Assault

L.A. Reid is being sued by a former employee who is accusing him of sexual assault.

According to the New York Times, the record executive and former head of Arista Records and Epic Records is being sued by a woman named Drew Dixon, who used to work at Arista as an A&R.

In a filing submitted on Wednesday (November 8), Dixon alleges Reid “sexually harassed [her] and refused to allow her to succeed unless she acquiesced to his demand to be alone and in close proximity to her, where he would create the opportunity to sexually assault her on two separate occasions.”

The suit continues: “This litigation is not only about the horrific physical assaults that Ms. Dixon had to endure. But it is also about the irreparable damage done to the rare and blossoming career of an extraordinary talent.”

Dixon also submitted a statement to the Los Angeles Times, saying: “L.A. Reid is a known predator, who uses his singular professional power to force himself on his victims.

“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.”

Reid has yet to respond to the lawsuit and accusations.

In the suit, which was filed in Manhattan, Dixon details an alleged assault from 2001 where Reid “digitally penetrated her vulva without her consent”.

Dixon claims she was assault again by Reid months later and that the famed executive “again digitally penetrated [her] vulva without her consent”.

The former vice president of A&R at Arista claims that after rejecting Reid’s sexual advances, he would punish her by blocking the signing of artists she championed such as Kanye West and John Legend.

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This is not the first time that L.A. Reid has been accused of sexual assault. In 2017, he left Epic Records after accusations he acted unlawfully towards an assistant, with Sony reaching a settlement with his accuser.

Drew Dixon has previously detailed that Reid behaved inappropriately towards her during her time at Arista.

In an interview with the New York Times in 2017, Dixon said of Reid: “It was a quid pro quo: ‘I have power, you want access, sleep with me — or I’m going to be really mean to you the next day. And there will be consequences.”

Dixon has also previously accused Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons of sexual assault, alleging that the music mogul raped her in 1995 — a claim Simmons has vehemently denied.

A total of 13 women accused Simmons of sexual assault including rape, resulting in him leaving his role at Def Jam. The accusations were detailed in the 2020 documentary On the Record, which featured Dixon prominently.