Drew Dixon, the music executive behind hits such as Estelle’s “American Boy” and Whitney Houston’s “My Love Is Your Love,” will confront former Arista head L.A. Reid in Manhattan federal court on Monday in her sexual assault trial against him. Dixon, who was vice president of A&R at Arista Records, filed suit against Reid in November 2023 alleging that he started harassing her shortly after he became the label’s CEO in 2000. The sexual harassment, Dixon alleges, would be followed by sexual assault. Dixon rebuffed Reid’s unwanted advances and he allegedly responded by trying to destroy her career — repeatedly thwarting the hitmaker’s efforts to recruit and retain artists such as John Legend.
Dixon, who said she was unable to contend with this alleged ongoing professional sabotage, left Arista in 2002 for Harvard Business School. She tried returning to the music industry in 2004, joining Legend as a general manager at Homeschool Records. But, Dixon alleges in court papers, she repeatedly ran into Reid and his associates at industry events, which proved a constant reminder of the alleged assaults. While Dixon, who is represented by attorneys Kenya Davis and Sigrid McCawley, at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, tried to shift from management to songwriting, this too required interaction with Reid whom she alleges antagonized her at a meeting rather than listen to an artist’s music. Dixon claims that Reid continues to stymie her career. Here is what we know about the upcoming trial, held coincidentally in the same courthouse as the Sean Combs trial, when jury selection starts next week.
Who is Drew Dixon?
Dixon started working in the music industry more than 30 years ago. After graduating from Stanford University, she landed an internship at Jive Records and then a receptionist gig at Empire Artist Management. As a junior executive at Zomba Music Publishing, she signed Nas and top hip-hop producer Erick Sermon to publishing deals. Dixon said she met Reid in 1993 while attending a mastering session for Outkast’s debut album. Dixon, who said Reid was impressed that she knew about the Atlanta group, left Zomba for a position of A&R Director at Def Jam Recordings.
In her role at Def Jam, Dixon helmed every element of recording Method Man and Mary J. Blige’s classic “I’ll Be There for You (You’re All I Need)” and oversaw production of The Show: The Soundtrack. Dixon alleges that her boss at Def Jam, Russell Simmons, raped her in 1995. (Simmons has denied the allegation.) She left Def Jam and after a few months, took a job as senior director of A&R at Arista Records. Clive Davis, Arista’s founder, promoted her to Vice President of A&R several years later. At Arista, Dixon signed artists such as Q-Tip and recognized top tracks such as “My Love Is Your Love,” which Wyclef gave to her for Whitney Houston. She left Arista after the alleged assaults, received her MBA from Harvard, and returned to the music industry as a general manager at Homeschool Records with Legend, according to court papers.
Who is L.A. Reid?
Antonio Marquis “L.A.” Reid is a Grammy Award-winning recording executive with a long record of signing top artists. Reid’s entree into the music industry was as a funk rock drummer and then as a member of R&B group the Deele with Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. Reid and Edmonds launched LaFace Records in 1989 as a joint venture with Arista and became the label for chart-topping artists like Usher, OutKast, Pink, and Avril Lavigne. When LaFace merged with Arista in 2000, he became the company’s president and CEO. Arista’s parent company, BMG, and Sony merged in 2004, which released Reid from his contract, per court papers.
Reid went on to launch the musical revivals of Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez and racked up numerous songwriting credits on tracks such as Whitney Houston’s “I’m Your Baby Tonight” and Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road,” court papers state. Reid became CEO of Epic Records in 2011. Under Reid’s leadership, four of the label’s artists—DJ Khaled, A Tribe Called Quest, Future, and Travis Scott—debuted chart-topping albums. Reid left Epic in 2017 after an assistant accused him of sexual misconduct. He would ultimately sell the entirety of his publishing interest and writer’s share of income for his 162-song catalogue to a company called Hipgnosis and join its board. Reid worked with Usher on an album in 2023. When the lawsuit was filed, Reid was believed to be worth some $300 to 500 million, court papers state.
What is Reid Accused Of?
Dixon alleges that Reid started harassing her shortly after he started at Arista in 2000. Reid alleges that he asked her to attend industry events with him and his wife and help them find an apartment. She “felt it was an odd request but thought perhaps he was planning to use his home as an extension of his office, so she agreed,” according to court papers. When Dixon arrived to one apartment showing, she found out that Reid’s wife would not be there. “During the entire afternoon of showings Mr. Reid made flirtatious comments. It was so pervasive that it caused the realtor to comment to Ms. Dixon privately that he was left with the impression that Mr. Reid was ‘in love with her,’” per the lawsuit. The next year, Dixon unexpectedly found herself alone on a plane with Reid en route to a company retreat in Puerto Rico, having thought other Arista execs would be on the aircraft.
Reid, she said, started “flirting with her right away.” Dixon said she went to the restroom to “buy time waiting for other executives to arrive.” She eventually left the restroom only to find herself alone in the plane with Reid. “He asked her to sit next to him to go over materials for the presentation, and then he began playing with her hair, kissing her and digitally penetrated her vulva without her consent,” she alleges in her suit. “Ms. Dixon spent the rest of the flight in a daze.”
After returning to New York City, Dixon tried “to dodge his overtures without offending and upsetting him” but he punished her for doing so, “embarrassing her in front of others or otherwise being curt and unprofessional.” A few months later, following a work event, “Reid insisted that Ms. Dixon join him for a ride to drop her at home so they could continue to discuss work.” Dixon thought it would be OK, as there was a driver present. But Reid “began to grope and kiss Ms. Dixon, who squirmed and pushed him away as Mr. Reid’s driver stared straight ahead” and would “again digitally penetrat[e] Ms. Dixon’s vulva without her consent,” court papers contend.
How has L.A. Reid Responded?
Reid has denied Dixon’s allegations in court papers. Imran H. Ansari, an attorney for Reid declined to comment prior to trial. In a 2017 New York Times article in which Dixon accused Simmons of rape, she accused Reid of sexual harassment. According to the Times, “Reid did not address her complaints directly but apologized if his words were ‘misinterpreted.’” (Simmons denied the allegation.)
Who Will Testify?
Dixon and Reid will testify. John Legend is among other witnesses expected to take the stand.
