Russell Simmons Risks Assets Seizure After Failing To Pay $3M Settlements

Russell Simmons is at risk of having some of his assets seized after failing to pay $3 million to three women as part of previously agreed settlements.

The Def Jam co-founder, who has been accused multiple times of sexual assault, was obligated to pay the money by October 1.

But according to legal documents obtained by Variety, Simmons failed to pay the sum by the agreed-upon deadline.

The three women — Sil Lai Abrams, Sherri Abernathy and Wendy Carolina Franco — filed confessions of judgment to the New York Supreme Court on Wednesday (October 2) proving that the media mogul agreed to pay them for “alleged personal, physical injuries and sickness.”

If Simmons defaults on the settlements, then the women have the right to go to the courts to retrieve the money by force. This could involve asset seizure.

Simmons agreed to pay $1,265,000 each to both Abrams and Abernathy and $515,000 to Franco but did not admit to any wrongoing, per the terms of the settlement.

The filing does not make it clear why he agreed a settlement with the women, but Abrams previously accused the 66-year-old of rape and detailed the allegations in the documentary On the Record.

More than 20 women have accused Simmons of sexual assault, though he has continued to deny any wrongdoing.

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Simmons, who currently resides in Bali, recently hit out at those who have continued to criticize him over the the allegations.

In an Instagram Live, he said: “Black people, did you forget that I got 10,000 Black men out of jail? And that I changed the factory farming industry forever? And that I registered more of you to vote than probably anybody you know?

“And I worked for Black Lives Matter and every movement that’s helped our people — all the women’s rights and even gay rights movements that I did so much work for.”

He added: “Still to date, I have never spoken to a policeman about anything. I have never spoken to a judge, civil or criminal, about anything. From what I can tell, Joe Biden, Bill Clinton and President Trump all have more credible claims against them than I do, if you ask Oprah.

“Again, I’ve never been charged with anything. Who took nine lie detector tests, seven of which were from the chairman of the Polygraph Association? Did Bill Clinton do that? Did Joe Biden do that? Did President Trump do that? Knock it off.”