Russel Simmons faces a new allegation of sexual assault this week, Deadline Hollywood reports.
Filmmaker Jennifer Jarosik is suing the mogul for $5 million, and is accusing Simmons of attacking and raping her in 2016.
Jarosik claims to have met Simmons in 2006, and says the two bonded over their shared interests in meditation, yoga and veganism. She said he promised to help her make a film, and that she trusted his “reputation as a spiritual conscious person.”
In 2016, Simmons allegedly invited Jarosik to his house. Jarosik says he asked her to have sex with him.
She says she refused, and that when she did, he “pounced on her while she was still in shock and fear, and proceeded to rape her.”
The filmmaker says she confronted Simmons following the assault, and that Simmons acted as if nothing happened. She also says that she didn't tell close friends and family members about the rape, and only came forward after she saw the accusations of others.
Jarosik's filing also makes reference to others who have accused Simmons of sexual assault; the suit says that the mogul “has historically thrived on the sexual exploitation of young women trying to break into the entertainment and music industry, in which young female artists are falsely promised opportunities and advancement by experienced and well-established men in power in the industry, with their careers in jeopardy if they resist the sexual overtures of these powerful men.”
Simmons denied all previous allegations of sexual misconduct, and has even subverted the #MeToo hashtag to defend himself, tagging posts on social media #NotMe.
The New York Police Department said that it is "reviewing information" surrounding a group of accusations against Simmons, and that a formal investigation into the allegations will begin soon.