Russell Simmons insists he’s free to roam america with out concern. The Hip-Hop mogul mentioned he didn’t depart America to keep away from authorized bother in response to AllHipHop’s reporting on a court docket submitting concerning his determination to reside in Bali.
“Folks saying that I by some means can’t come dwelling once I’m there on a regular basis wears on you,” Simmons informed AllHipHop’s Chuck Creekmur. “It wears on me after some time to maintain listening to the identical narrative, which is fake. I’m all the time in L.A., I’m all the time in New York and Miami. And I’ve by no means had any purpose to really feel unsafe in America.”
Simmons typically confronted rumors of fleeing the nation as a consequence of a number of girls accusing him of rape and sexual misconduct. The Def Jam co-founder denied the allegations. He defined his dwelling scenario to a New York court docket amid his authorized battle in opposition to a girl accusing him of sexual assault.
“I’m not bodily current in New York and I would not have an intention to reside in New York sooner or later,” Simmons mentioned in a declaration filed on Wednesday (Could 22). “I personal no property in america. I’ve been dwelling in Bali since 2018, which is the place I intend to stay. For a minimum of 9 years earlier than I moved to Bali, I lived in California. As a California resident, I paid California resident taxes within the years instantly previous to shifting to Bali. Presently, I pay California non-resident state taxes.”
Simmons’ accuser sued him for sexual battery/assault, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional misery and gender-motivated violence in February. The alleged sufferer, a former Def Jam worker recognized as Jane Doe, claimed Simmons raped her within the ‘90s.
Jane Doe additionally accused Simmons of forging her signature on a doc in an amended grievance. Based on Simmons’ lawyer, former Def Jam government Lyor Cohen licensed the signature’s legitimacy.
One other ex-Def Jam government, Drew Dixon, sued Simmons for defamation in February. She accused Simmons of participating in a “malicious marketing campaign to discredit” her sexual assault allegations.