L.A. Reid, who helped develop music stars Mariah Carey, Pink, TLC and Usher, has been sued by a former music executive for sexually assaulting her more than two decades ago.
Drew Dixon claims Reed, 67, derailed her rising career after he became CEO of Arista Records and she rejected his advances. The allegations include two alleged sexual assaults that she said occurred in 2001.
The case is Dixon v. Reed and was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Dixon is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in her lawsuit.
Reed and his representatives have not yet commented on the lawsuit.
Although these allegations date back to the turn of the last century, Dixon is suing under New York State’s adult survivors law. This gives adults a one-year opportunity to file a lawsuit over alleged sexual assault that occurred long ago, even if statutes of limitations have expired. The window closes this month.
Dixon is a board member of New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and was the subject of the 2020 HBO Max documentary, “On the Record,” regarding sexual misconduct accusations by women against rap mogul Russell Simmons.
Dixon Reed was first accused of misconduct in December 2017. That was less than a year after he left his position as president of Sony’s Epic Records after being accused of inappropriate behavior.
At the time, Reid spoke to the New York Times. “I am proud of my track record of promoting, supporting and elevating women at every company I have ever managed. However, if I say anything that could be misconstrued, I apologize unreservedly.
In her legal filing today, Dixon alleged that Reid began harassing her shortly after she arrived at Arista in 2000. On a company trip on a private jet, he allegedly played with her hair, kissed her and penetrated her without her consent.
The second alleged assault occurred several months later while he was returning home from an event in New York. Dixon alleged that Reed groped, kissed and penetrated her without her consent.
Dixon said her career then stalled, as Reid became “hostile”. She claims that Reid wanted her to meet him late at night at his hotel and wear skirts instead of jeans. She said her budgets were cut and her artists were rejected when she did not submit.
She left the industry in 2002 to attend Harvard Business School.
“Reed’s ongoing campaign of sexual harassment and assault forced me to give up the work I loved while I was at the top of my music career,” Dixon said in a statement provided by her lawyers.
“Infuriatingly humble web fan. Writer. Alcohol geek. Passionate explorer. Evil problem solver. Incurable zombie expert.”
