Former ‘X-Factor’ Judge LA Reid Sued Over Alleged Sexual Assault

L.A. Reid, credited with the development of Mariah Carey, Pink, TLC, and Usher, is being sued for sexual assault more than two decades ago by a former music executive. Reid, 67, allegedly derailed Drew Dixon’s career after he became Arista Records’ chief executive, and she turned down his advances. Among the allegations are two sexual assaults she claims occurred in 2001, reported Deadline.

As of Wednesday, the case Dixon v Reid was filed in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York. Dixon is seeking unspecified amounts of compensatory and punitive damages in her lawsuit. There has been no comment on the lawsuit from Reid or his representatives thus far.

Even though Dixon’s allegations date back decades, she is suing under the Adult Survivors Act of New York State. Adults have one year to file a lawsuit over alleged sexual abuse that occurred many years ago, even if the statute of limitations has expired. The deadline for filing is this month, according to the outlet.

A board member at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, Dixon was also a subject in the HBO Max documentary On the Record, which concerns sexual misconduct allegations by women against rap mogul Russell Simmons in the early 2000s.

The first time Dixon accused Reid of misconduct was in December 2017. After being accused of improper behavior, Reid stepped down from his position as head of Sony’s Epic Records less than a year earlier. Reid told The New York Times at that time, “I’m proud of my track record promoting, supporting, and uplifting women at every company I’ve ever run. That notwithstanding, if I have ever said anything capable of being misinterpreted, I apologize unreservedly.”

Dixon alleged in a legal filing today that Reid began harassing her soon after she arrived at Arista in 2000. On a company trip on a private jet, he was alleged to have played with her hair, kissed her, and penetrated her without her consent. Following the first alleged assault, Dixon alleged Reid groped, kissed, and penetrated her without consent several months later while riding home from a New York event.

Dixon said her career stagnated after Reid became “hostile” to her. Reid wanted her to wear skirts instead of jeans late at night in his hotel. As a result of not submitting, her budgets were cut, and her artists were rejected. In 2002, she left the industry to attend Harvard Business School.

Dixon said in a statement provided by her lawyers that Reid’s”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.”