In a last-minute resolution, prominent music executive LA Reid has settled a high-profile sexual assault and harassment lawsuit brought by a former employee, on the very day the civil trial was scheduled to commence.
Allegations of Assault and Career Sabotage
The case was filed by Drew Dixon, a former Arista Records employee, under New York State's Adult Survivors Act in 2023. Dixon alleged that Reid, the former chief executive of Arista Records, sexually assaulted her on two occasions in 2001. She claimed the incidents involved unwanted groping, kissing, and digital penetration without her consent.
Dixon further asserted that the harassment began shortly after Reid joined Arista in 2000. When she rebuffed his advances, she says her once-promising career was deliberately derailed. Her budgets were slashed and her proposed artist signings were rejected, actions she attributes directly to her rejection of Reid.
"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," Dixon stated in a 2023 release from her legal team. She left the company in 2002 to attend Harvard Business School.
A Pattern of Claims and the Path to Settlement
LA Reid, born Antonio Reid, is a Grammy-winning figure known for helping develop major artists like Mariah Carey, TLC, Pink, and Usher. He left Arista in 2004, later holding CEO roles at Island Def Jam Music Group and Epic Records. His tenure at Epic ended in 2017 following a separate harassment claim from a female staff member, as reported by the Hollywood Reporter at the time.
The lawsuit was enabled by the Adult Survivors Act, a New York law that opened a one-year window in 2023 for adults to sue over alleged sexual abuse that fell outside the standard statute of limitations. Dixon, now a board member at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, has been an advocate for the act.
Specific terms of the settlement remain confidential. Both parties issued statements confirming the resolution. Dixon expressed hope that her advocacy helps create "a safer music business for everyone," calling the settlement "a ray of light peeking through the clouds" for survivors.
Imran H Ansari, a lawyer representing LA Reid, stated: "Mr Reid has amicably resolved this matter with Ms Dixon without any admission of liability." Reid had previously denied all allegations.
Broader Context in the Music Industry
This case is not Drew Dixon's first public allegation against a powerful music industry figure. She was one of three women who accused Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons of rape, featuring in the 2020 documentary On the Record. Simmons has consistently denied the allegations from Dixon and more than 20 other women.
The settlement concludes a legal battle that cast a renewed spotlight on issues of power, abuse, and accountability within the entertainment sector, underscoring the ongoing significance of legislation like the Adult Survivors Act.
