Russell Simmons files $20m defamation lawsuit against HBO over sexual misconduct docu: Here's a look at his net worth

Russell Simmons has sued HBO for a whopping $20 million. He filed the defamation lawsuit after accusing filmmakers of a documentary detailing sexual misconduct allegations against him of “suppressing evidence” that refuted the accusers’ claims, the New York Post reported. 

Simmons has accused the creators of the 2020 film ‘On the Record,’ a documentary about women accusing the hip hop mogul of sexual misconduct, “willfully” ignoring evidence “including interviews, and over 20 witnesses” that were favorable to Simmons. The evidence would have reportedly “refuted and rebutted the accusations falsely made against Plaintiff in the film” and was presented to the filmmakers, and top HBO and parent company Warner Bros. executives. However, according to the lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday, June 4, the materials were ignored. The lawsuit added that the evidence includes “nine consecutive credible and favorable CIA-grade polygraph results” that HBO “disregarded.”

The lawsuit also noted that the film’s backers were “requested” to review the evidence by unnamed “luminaries in media and politics, including but not limited to, civil rights leaders and members of Congress, and other high-profile black leaders.” Simmons alleged that Oprah Winfrey, former executive producer of the film, left the project “after publicly noting inconsistencies in the accusations.” He also alleged that several news outlets “declined to publish defamatory content.” 

Winfrey, however, previously said that it was Simmons who pressured her to quit the project. She added that she still believed Drew Dixon, the woman at the center of the film.

Russell Simmons’ net worth

Simmons has a net worth of $10 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He is best known for co-founding Def Jam Recordings with 

Rick Rubin in 1984. Simmons later went on to sell his portion of Def Jam Recordings to Universal Music Group for $120 million.

Simmons’ successful career was marred by allegations of sexual assault, which surfaced in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Several women accused him of misconduct spanning over three decades.