Music mogul LA Reid goes on trial next week on charges of sexually assaulting record company boss Drew Dixon while he was working at Arista in 2001. John Legend is said to be in court as a witness.
Mr Dixon, one of the music industry’s most persistent campaigners for justice for victims of powerful people, claims he was assaulted twice by Mr Reed while he was vice president of A&R at the storied label.
She claims that after she turned down his advances, he suppressed her career and that she never fully recovered. She has worked with stars such as Whitney Houston and Santana, and claims an “American Idol” judge blocked her from signing the legend as part of retaliation against her. (Mr. Reed denied this claim).
Dixon also accused Def Jam’s Russell Simmons of rape and sued him for defamation when he suggested in interviews that Dixon and other accusers were lying. (Mr. Simmons strongly denies the allegations).
Dixon was a leading proponent of the Adult Survivors Act. This special law seeks to get her and other alleged victims, including Diddy’s accusers, convicted of crimes that would otherwise have been long past the statute of limitations.
