When Dixon rebuffed Reid on future occasions, he stifled her career, including opportunities with Kanye West and a young John Legend, by reducing or freezing budgets and rejecting demoes and artist auditions, according to the lawsuit. His behavior, the lawsuit alleges, cost Dixon millions of dollars, and also derailed careers of “undeveloped artists that Ms. Dixon attempted to promote while trying to avoid Reid’s abuse.”
In a statement through her lawyer, Dixon said, “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.”
After leaving Arista in 2002, Dixon continued to work in the music industry, and facilitated songs including “American Boy” by Estelle and Kanye West. Nevertheless, she says Reid’s abuse and misconduct curtailed her momentum and opportunities. In 2017, Reid exited Epic Records, where he had been CEO, amid anonymous allegations of sexual harassment.
Dixon, who first accused Russell Simmons of rape in 2017, and repeated the allegation in a 2020 documentary, filed the complaint against Reid under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which opened a yearlong window for civil lawsuits involving historic sexual offenses, as long as the plaintiff was older than 18 when the alleged abuse took place. Dixon had advocated for that law, and added in her statement, “I joined a coalition of brave survivors to fight for the passage of the Adult Survivors Act because trauma takes time, and I believe all victims of sexual violence should have the opportunity to pursue justice before a jury of their peers. Thanks to the ASA, hundreds of survivors in the state of New York have already held their abusers accountable, and today I found the courage to join them.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, we encourage you to reach out for support:
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
http://www.rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line
SMS: Text “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741