Former music executive Drew Dixon filed a lawsuit in Manhattan’s Federal District Court on Wednesday, accusing music mogul L.A. Reid of sexual assault.
Dixon alleged she was assaulted by the former CEO of Epic Records, and “X-Factor” judge, as well as another senior representative. She alleged her promising career that was on the rise was cut short as a result of the assault, according to People. Reid is credited for launching the careers of major stars including Mariah Carey, Usher, TLC and Pink.
LA Reid, the music executive known for helping develop superstars Mariah Carey, Pink, TLC and Usher, was sued on Wednesday by a former music executive who accused him of sexually assaulting her more than two decades ago. pic.twitter.com/d6a6n05WnS
— NewsTechMachine (@WarTechMachine) November 9, 2023
Dixon claimed Reid made it impossible for her to further her career “unless she acquiesced to his demand to be alone and in close proximity to her, where he would create the opportunity to sexually assault her on two separate occasions,” according to People.
Dixon claimed she was told to attend a company-wide retreat in Puerto Rico which involved boarding a private plane alongside a group of of senior executives. She said she arrived to find it was a private flight alone with Reid, and he took advantage of the situation by assaulting her on the plane, according to People.
She alleges she was sexually assaulted by Reid again a few months later while he was giving her a ride home after a work-related event in New York City.
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The court documents said that “any time she rebuffed him, some of the world’s most renowned talent paid the price of career stalls.”
Dixon claimed the dynamic of their relationship robbed her of her career. She said Reid thwarted significant deals and business opportunities such as a collaboration with John Legend, “which cost her millions of dollars,” and said Reid began sexually assaulting her almost immediately after she began her position at Arista Records in 2000. (RELATED: Julia Ormond Sues Harvey Weinstein For Sexual Assault)
The plaintiff left Arista Records in 2002, feeling that she couldn’t continue a career in the music industry “without being sexualized,” according to People.