Russell Simmons quietly resolved a multi-million greenback settlement dispute with sexual misconduct accusers.

Russell Simmons has quietly resolved a protracted monetary dispute with three girls who accused him of sexual misconduct after failing to pay over $3 million in agreed settlements for greater than a 12 months.

The Def Jam co-founder reached a decision with accusers Wendy Franco, Sil Lai Abrams and Sherri Abernathy simply days after Rolling Stone despatched detailed questions on his nonpayment to his authorized staff. The phrases of the decision stay confidential.

Simmons had signed settlement agreements in November 2023 totaling $3.045 million with the three girls, however missed his cost deadline in October 2024.

Courtroom paperwork revealed he owed Franco $515,000 and each Abrams and Abernathy $1,265,000 every for claims associated to alleged sexual misconduct relationship again to the Eighties and Nineteen Nineties.

The Hip-Hop pioneer’s failure to honor the settlements precipitated further emotional trauma for the ladies, who described the year-long delay as devastating. Whereas Simmons missed his cost obligations, he maintained an lively social media presence from his residence in Bali, Indonesia, the place he has lived since 2018.

His Instagram account options yoga classes, meditation posts and wellness content material from his involvement with the Gdas Bali Well being and Wellness Resort. The settlement delays occurred as Simmons faces further monetary pressures.

Courtroom filings present that he owes no less than $8 million to a few different accusers—Tina Klein-Baker, Toni Sallie, and Alexia Jones—who declare he has paid solely $220,000 of the agreed-upon settlements as of January 2025.

Simmons has additionally been battling his ex-wife, Kimora Lee, in court docket over tens of millions of {dollars} in Celsius power drink shares that federal authorities need to seize following money-laundering prices towards Kimora’s ex-husband, Tim Leissner.

The music mogul filed a $20 million defamation lawsuit towards HBO and documentary filmmakers in June 2025 over the 2020 movie “On the Report,” which featured interviews with a number of of his accusers. HBO referred to as the lawsuit missing “each advantage and substance.”

Simmons has repeatedly denied all allegations of sexual misconduct, stating in 2017 that “these horrific accusations have shocked me to my core and all of my relations have been consensual.”

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