Russell Simmons is accusing HBO and its partners of ignoring civil rights leaders, burying evidence, and turning his name into a global spectacle, and he\u2019s putting it before a Manhattan court.<\/p>\n
In a sweeping amended lawsuit obtained exclusively by The Informer and filed in Manhattan, Simmons alleges that Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO, HBO Max, Max, filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, and Jane Doe Films knowingly pushed the 2019 documentary, \u201cOn the Record\u201d (OTR), despite repeated warnings that the film was one-sided and unreliable.<\/p>\n
The Queens-born architect behind some of rap\u2019s biggest stars, including Run-DMC, LL Cool J, and Jay-Z has lived in near exile in Bali, Indonesia, since the allegations erupted, and he is now accusing HBO and others of ignoring clear warnings and pressing forward anyway with the explosive film.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis lawsuit is about the reckless and\/or malicious defamation of Simmons,\u201d the complaint states, describing the film as \u201ca defamatory film that was mislabeled as a factual documentary\u201d and a \u201ctabloid hit piece\u201d that \u201cblurred the lines between documentary and drama to exploit [the] #MeToo movement for media profit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warnings Ignored, \u2018In It for the Money and Attention\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to the lawsuit, which includes several Washington Informer news articles about the film, those warnings came from the highest levels.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore OTR was broadcast, the Defendants ignored the requests of many highly respected and notable civil rights leaders, including but not limited to, [the] Rev. Al Sharpton and [the] Rev. Jesse Jackson\u2026 who asked the Defendants to verify the Accusers\u2019 stories and not to release a one-sided story,\u201d the complaint states.<\/p>\n
The filing adds that even inside corporate leadership, there were calls for balance.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least one Time Warner Board Member\u2026asked the Defendants to include both sides of the story\u2026which the Defendants again refused to do,\u201d the filing states.<\/p>\n
Simmons says this was not an oversight. He says it was a decision.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit also challenges the foundation of the film itself.<\/p>\n
Simmons alleges the central accuser was not simply a participant but someone with a financial stake and influence over the production.<\/p>\n
According to the complaint, she \u201cplayed an active, instrumental, behind-the-scenes role\u201d and \u201cdefinitely had a private deal\u201d with the filmmakers, adding that she was \u201cin it for the money and attention reasons period.\u201d<\/p>\n
That arrangement, Simmons says, was never disclosed to viewers.<\/p>\n
Instead, audiences were presented with what appeared to be independent testimony.<\/p>\n
The filing adds that she described herself as \u201cthe main one most associated with the film\u201d and had \u201cplanned this for years\u201d as part of a larger effort that included a book built on the same allegations.<\/p>\n
Oprah Winfrey and the Insider Who Never Made the Cut\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the most striking moments in the complaint centers on Oprah Winfrey.<\/p>\n
According to the filing, Winfrey initially backed the project but stepped away after reviewing the material and raising concerns about inconsistencies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s some inconsistencies in the stories we need to look at,\u201d she said, according to the complaint, which also states she found \u201ctoo many inconsistencies\u201d in the lead accuser\u2019s account.<\/p>\n
Simmons says she urged the filmmakers to include opposing perspectives.<\/p>\n
They refused.<\/p>\n
Winfrey has publicly defended her decision to withdraw, saying it was based on concerns about the film itself and not because she did not believe the alleged victims.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit also highlights voices Simmons says could have changed the entire narrative.<\/p>\n
Nana Carmen Ashhurst, a former president of Def Jam Recordings, is described as a key witness contradicting one of the central allegations.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt no point did [she] use the term rape,\u201d Ashhurst said, recalling a phone call the day after the alleged incident, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n
Simmons says the filmmakers knew about her account and excluded it.<\/p>\n
Thomasina Perkins-Washington, a longtime publicist, also warned executives before the film aired.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a one-sided narrative with no credibility or integrity,\u201d her 2019 letter to HBO states, according to the complaint, which says she provided documentation and witness statements that challenged the allegations.<\/p>\n
\u2018Deliberately, Recklessly, and Maliciously,\u2019 Evidence Left Out<\/p>\n
The complaint repeats that phrase again and again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Defendants deliberately, recklessly, and maliciously persisted in publicly releasing\u2026OTR,\u201d it states, even after being presented with \u201chighly relevant and credible evidence favorable to Simmons.\u201d<\/p>\n
Simmons alleges the filmmakers refused to include his side of the story and ignored evidence that challenged the allegations.<\/p>\n
Before the film was broadcast, Simmons said he spoke to Casey Bloys, chairman of HBO and Max Content. Simmons told Bloys he had witness testimony and a short movie rebuttal and he asked Bloys to review it for the inclusion in the film.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBloys thought that was funny, laughed, and replied, \u2018Only if the girls agree to be in it,\u2019\u201d Simmons said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Among the claims, Simmons says he voluntarily took nine lie detector tests and passed them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe he was truthful in all of these,\u201d a polygraph examiner is quoted as saying in the filing.<\/p>\n
He also alleges the filmmakers failed to properly vet the accusers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is unclear what the Defendants did, if anything, to personally vet the credibility of the Accusers,\u201d the complaint states.<\/p>\n
The Decision to Move Forward<\/p>\n
Simmons argues for HBO and Warner Bros. Discovery were fully aware of the controversy before distributing the film.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite the obvious and unmissable serious red flags,\u201d the complaint states, the company moved forward anyway.<\/p>\n
He says executives were contacted repeatedly with evidence and requests for review.<\/p>\n
Instead, they relied on the filmmakers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe filmmakers\u2026stand behind the content,\u201d an HBO attorney stated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Russell Simmons is accusing HBO and its partners of ignoring civil rights leaders, burying evidence, and turning his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":180528,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[72866,72867,6131,75,84,83,72868,9,24,63,46541,72869,47487,72870,72871,72872],"class_list":{"0":"post-180527","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manhattan","8":"tag-metoo","9":"tag-casey-bloys","10":"tag-hbo","11":"tag-manhattan","12":"tag-manhattan-headlines","13":"tag-manhattan-news","14":"tag-nana-carmen-ashhurst","15":"tag-new-york","16":"tag-new-york-city","17":"tag-nyc","18":"tag-oprah-winfrey","19":"tag-rev-jesse-jackson","20":"tag-rev-al-sharpton","21":"tag-russell-simmons","22":"tag-stacy-m-brown","23":"tag-thomasina-perkins-washington"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180527"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180527\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/180528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}