Russell Simmons Denies 2016 Rape Allegations

Russell Simmons denied raping Jennifer Jarosik, an aspiring filmmaker, in court documents filed Wednesday.

Jarosik sued Simmons for $5 million in January, alleging the hip-hop mogul attacked and raped her during a 2016 visit to his home. In response, the new complaint argues that Jarosik’s suit was “filled with lies against Mr. Simmons, who has only ever tried to help her. Mr. Simmons has never had non-consensual sex with Ms. Jarosik or anyone else.”

Simmons’ new filing attempted to undermine Jarosik, citing court proceedings from the past six years during which Jarosik was reportedly found to have “a propensity to exaggerate,” to suffer from “untreated mental health issues” and to be “unfit to properly parent.”

A representative for Simmons declined Rolling Stone‘s request to comment. 

A lawyer for Jarosik told Rolling Stone, “Ms. Jarosik is a loving mother and a good parent and her parenting abilities have no relevance in this matter.”not immediately return Rolling Stone‘s request. 

Simmons and Jarosik met in 2006 and, according to Jarosik’s complaint, bonded over a mutual passion for meditation, yoga and being vegan. She claimed that in 2016, Simmons invited her to his home, propositioned her for sex and, after she refused, became aggressive, pushed her onto a bed and proceeded to rape her. After suing Simmons, Jarosik appeared on Megyn Kelly Today and claimed Simmons also assaulted her in 2011.

In response, Simmons’ new filing cited allegedly affectionate text messages and e-mails Jarosik sent after the 2011 and 2016 incidents. His complaint claims that Jarosik never mentioned the alleged 2011 attack in any of her correspondence afterwards, and suggests that instead, she “was interested in having a closer relationship with Mr. Simmons and that she wanted his assistance with her professional endeavors.”

Simmons’ complaint claims that prior to the 2016 incident, Jarosik sent Simmons messages like, “I emailed u love” and “love to c u soon.” According to the complaint, weeks after the alleged rape, Jarosik texted Simmons notes like, “sending love” and “I muss u Russell. r u ok.” She also reportedly sent him “unsolicited nude photos.”

According to Simmons, Jarosik continued to send him personal and professional messages into 2017. Simmons ultimately contributed “a few thousand dollars” to Jarosik’s documentary, Goddess, and sat down for an interview for the film. The suit suggests that Jarosik decided to file her $5 million suit after Simmons declined to participate in a follow-up interview that would’ve addressed the various allegations other women have made against him. 

“Mr. Simmons occasionally offered encouragement to Ms. Jarosik, offered to contribute a few thousand dollars to one project, and once asked a friend of his who was a documentary film-maker to help her with a documentary project,” the suit reads. “In the wake of the #metoo movement, Ms. Jarosik alleged that Mr. Simmons raped her, but in exchange for funding her film project, she would help him restore his ‘image’ with women.”