Lawsuit Accusing Russell Simmons of Rape is Dropped

A lawsuit accusing the music mogul Russell Simmons of rape was dropped from federal court in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The complaint was filed in January by Jennifer Jarosik, 37, who sought $5 million in damages. She said that she had first met Simmons in 2006 when he had offered to help her produce a documentary. Jarosik said that Simmons raped her at his home in Los Angeles in 2016 and that afterward she felt humiliation, fear and depression.

On April 4, Simmons’ legal team submitted an answer in court that strongly denied the accusations, saying that the complaint was “filled with lies against Mr. Simmons, who has only ever tried to help her.”

The filing claims that the sexual encounter was consensual and alludes to a series of text messages in which Jarosik expresses affection for Simmons. It also claims that Jarosik sent unsolicited nude photos to Simmons after the date on which she said the rape had occurred.

A court document disclosed on Wednesday said that all charges had been dropped. It was unclear whether a settlement was reached. A spokesman for Glaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shapiro, the law firm representing Simmons, declined to comment. Perry C. Wander, a lawyer for Jarosik, was unavailable for comment.

Jarosik is one of at least 10 women who have accused Simmons of sexual misconduct, assault or rape over the last few months. An additional lawsuit accusing Simmons of rape was filed in March; the complainant, a woman identified as Jane Doe, is seeking $10 million in damages.

Simmons has denied the accusations. In a court document dated April 16, Simmons’ lawyers called the suit brought by Jane Doe a “work of pure fiction.”