L.A. Reid, Grammy-winning executive, settles with ex-recording chief who accused him of sexual assault | Today News

Grammy-winning music executive Antonio “L.A.” Reid has reached a confidential settlement with a former record company executive who alleged he sexually assaulted her and damaged her career, legal filings show.

The agreement came on Monday, 12 January, the same day Reid’s civil trial was scheduled to begin in a Manhattan federal court, averting what was expected to be a high-profile courtroom battle

The terms of Reid's settlement with Drew Dixon were not made public.

Smiling with her family and lawyers outside court, Dixon said, “I’m excited to get back to making music.” She called the litigation an “arduous process." Her mother, former Washington, D.C., Mayor Sharon Pratt, called it an “excruciating journey.”

Reid's lawyer, Imran H. Ansari, said in a statement: “Mr. Reid has amicably resolved this matter with Ms. Dixon without any admission of liability.”

Reid, a 10-time Grammy nominee and three-time winner, rose to prominence after cofounding a record label with producing partner Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds in 1989. He is a prominent figure in the American music industry, widely credited with shaping the careers of artists such as Usher, OutKast, Pink, and Mariah Carey through his work at major labels including Arista Records, The Island Def Jam Music Group and later Epic Records. He is a three-time Grammy Award winner and a ten-time nominee.

Reid and Dixon resolved the lawsuit the same day jury selection was slated to begin in federal court in New York in a trial over her claims.

Musicians John Legend and Aku Orraca-Tetteh and recording executive Roy Lott were among the witnesses who had been set to testify on Dixon's behalf, according to her lawyer, Kenya Davis.

According to filings and reporting, Dixon’s complaint alleged that Reid sexually assaulted her on two separate occasions in 2001 while she was working under him at Arista Records. One incident was said to have occurred on a private company plane, and the other in Reid’s car.

She also claimed that, after she rebuffed further advances, Reid retaliated by undermining her professional responsibilities, including reducing her promotional budget, rejecting artist auditions, and creating a hostile work environment, which she said ultimately derailed her career.

Davis said the settlement will empower Dixon "to move forward with her creative pursuits on her own terms, with her reputation, her voice, and her career reaffirmed.”

Dixon went public with her allegations in 2017 and detailed them in the 2020 documentary “On the Record,” which discussed sexual misconduct in the music industry. She has also accused ex-hip hop mogul Russell Simmons of rape, which he denies, and has a pending defamation lawsuit against him.

Dixon sued Reid in 2023 under New York State’s Adult Survivors Act, which had provided sex abuse accusers a one-year window to sue even if the statute of limitations has passed.

Reid and Edmonds were co-founders of LaFace Records, a label responsible for a string of hits by some of the biggest pop acts of the 1990s, including Boyz II Men, Toni Braxton, Outkast and TLC. He later had stints running Arista, Island Def Jam and Sony's Epic Records. He left Epic in 2017 after a former female assistant accused him of sexual harassment.

“I hope my work as an advocate for the Adult Survivors Act helps to bring all of us closer to a music business that is safer for everyone,” Dixon told reporters outside the courthouse. “And in a world where good news is often hard to find, I hope that survivors today see a ray of light peeking through the clouds.”

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly.

Dixon expanded on her future plans in a written statement, saying that music has always been her “greatest source of comfort and joy.”

“While I have focused on sexual assault advocacy in recent years, I have never stopped fighting for my place in this industry,” Dixon said. “I have big ideas for future projects that will be guided by creativity and integrity.”

The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, and it is not known whether financial compensation was involved or if there were additional conditions attached to the agreement.