Russell Simmons is facing yet another sexual assault allegation.
According to an exclusive Variety report, Alexia Norton Jones has accused the hip-hop mogul of raping her nearly 30 years ago. The woman, who is also the granddaughter of the late book publisher WW Norton, claims the incident occurred at Simmon’s NYC apartment following their date in November 1990.
Jones, who was a 31 years old at the time, said she became suspicious of Simmons’ behavior shortly after they began kissing inside his home.
“There was something about kissing him, his heart was racing. It seemed out of pace, like he wasn’t relaxed. My mind went to, ‘Is he on something?’” she said. “I also thought, ‘How could I be such an idiot?’ Here I am, I’m trusting him. I had been a survivor of sexual abuse as a young teenager.
“I didn’t want to go further. It was such a fast attack […] He pulled my dress up. I must have said no seven to 10 times, and then I acquiesced. It was very fast. I would say it happened in less than 10 minutes.”
Jones said she reported the assault to the NYPD last spring, after multiple other women accused the Def Jam founder of sexual assault. Though her case was outside the statute of limitations, Jones said she filed the complaint as an act of solidarity with the other accusers.
“I would have kept quiet forever. What made me come forward is his denials of violence toward other women,” she said. “I don’t want any money from Russell. I’m not suing him. If you look at the women he allegedly assaulted, many of us have a similar look. It’s uncanny. Russell knew that the African American community was behind him. There are so few black men who make it, we wanted him to succeed. Yet there was also this huge betrayal. He counted on this silence.”
Over a dozen women—including singer Sherri Hines, publicist Kelly Cutrone, and screenwriter Jenny Lumet—have accused Simmons of varying degrees of sexual misconduct.
As with the previous allegations, Simmons has denied Jones’ claims. His statement to Variety read in part:
I’m deeply saddened by this story from Alexia. At no time did she share these feelings about her first sexual encounter with me, which took place roughly 28 years ago. Alexia and I dated, were intimate and attended multiple events together after she alleges the incident occurred in 1990. I considered her a friend for all these years and continue to have a warm relationship with members of her family.
