An anonymous Jane Doe plaintiff is suing Universal Music Group, Def Jam Records, and influential music executive Kevin Liles with claims Liles sexually assaulted her while she was working as his executive assistant more than 20 years ago.
In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Manhattan, the woman claims she was hired by the corporate defendants in 1999, with Liles acting as her supervisor. She alleges that between 2000 and 2002, Liles sexually harassed her on numerous occasions. According to the lawsuit, Liles allegedly “pressed his body against [her] breasts,” and “grabbed [her] on the buttocks.”
The woman claims that in 2002, Liles made “sexually inappropriate comments and advances” that she rebuffed. “Kevin Liles proceeded to physically force himself on top of [Jane Doe] where he began to sexually assault and ultimately rape her despite her continued protests,” the 21-page lawsuit alleges.
The woman was able to file her decades-old claim using a special two-year lookback window under a New York City law that was enacted in 2000 with the aim of allowing victims to sue their attackers and related institutions over alleged gender-motivated violence. The window, which closes Saturday, has allowed plaintiffs to file lawsuits that otherwise had passed the statute of limitations.
Attempts to reach Liles and a spokesperson for UMG were not immediately successful Thursday. After his time at Def Jam, Liles, 57, went on to become the co-founder and CEO of 300 Entertainment, a label whose artists include Young Thug, Gunna, Fetty Wap, and Mary J. Blige. Liles, who previously testified at a court hearing in an attempt to get Young Thug released on bond during the rapper’s RICO prosecution in Atlanta, announced he was stepping down from 300 Entertainment last September.
The plaintiff behind the new lawsuit claims UMG and Def Jam should be held liable for her alleged abuse because they “enabled, permitted, directed, controlled, approved, managed, operated and ratified the manner in which Liles engaged with employees.” She is asking for compensatory and punitive damages to be decided at trial.
