Russell Simmons has been ordered to pay $3 million to three women who accused him of sexual assault after failing to meet the terms of their previous settlement agreements.
On Wednesday, confessions of judgment were filed in New York County Supreme Court against the music mogul on behalf of the three alleged victims, according to court documents obtained by Variety.
Simmons had consented to the judgments as part of confidential settlement agreements made with Sil Lai Abrams, Sherri Abernathy and Wendy Carolina Franco in November 2023.
The documents indicate that he agreed to pay Abrams and Abernathy $1,265,000 and $515,000 to Franco. However, due to his failure to make these payments, the plaintiffs were granted an expedited process to recover the funds.
The Def Jam Records cofounder committed to paying the women, but court records as of Oct. 1 reveal that he has not fulfilled the payments.
Although the documents do not specify the experiences Abernathy and Franco allegedly endured with Simmons, Abrams previously stated that the now 67-year-old raped her in 1994. She is among more than 20 women who have accused Simmons of sexual assault over the past decade, according to Variety.
Simmons, who lives in Bali, has not admitted to any wrongdoing and has consistently maintained his innocence in the face of these allegations. Simmons provided more details in December 2023 while appearing on In Depth with Graham Bensinger.
“I’ve never been violent to anybody,” he said. “Of course I’ve been insensitive, but certainly never been forceful in any of my relationships, all of which I’ve had have been consensual.”
Blavity reported that the documentary On the Record focuses on Simmons and his sexual assault accusers, featuring music executive Drew Dixon and her harrowing experience during the #MeToo movement.