One of the Women Claiming Russell Simmons Raped Her Has Agreed to Drop Her Lawsuit

The Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday that aspiring documentary filmmaker Jennifer Jarosik agreed to drop a lawsuit alleging music mogul Russell Simmons raped her in 2016.

The $5 million lawsuit, which was filed in January, was dismissed through an agreement between Jarosik and Simmons’ lawyers; the reason for this was not indicated in the court filings. The complaint was dismissed “with prejudice,” indicating that it may not be refiled.

In her now dismissed lawsuit, Jarosik states that Simmons first became her trusted friend in New York City circa 2006, and that the two shared “love and passion for meditation, yoga, and a vegan diet.” A decade later, when Simmons invite her to his house in Los Angeles, the lawsuit alleges that she declined his request that the two have sex, at which point Jarosik says he became aggressive, then “pounced on her while she was still in shock and fear, and proceeded to rape her.”

Simmons claimed in his response to the suit, filed on April 4, that his and Jorosik’s sexual relationship had been consensual and offered up as some sort of proof the claim that Jarosik often texted him messages saying how much she missed him and wanted to see him.

Simmons continues to face a $10 million lawsuit filed by a Jane Doe in on March 23. The plaintiff is seeking damages for alleged forcible rape and intentional infliction of emotional abuse. Simmons has “vehemently” denied these allegations, adding, “I passed all of the lie detector tests.”

Billboard reported in March that 16 women (that number includes Jarosik) have accused Simmons of sexual misconduct since a Los Angeles Times report from November detailed allegations of how he and Brett Ratner teamed up to sexually assault and harass women.