L.A. Reid leaves job as head of Sony Music Entertainment’s Epic Records, following accusations of harassment by female assistant
Antonio “L.A.” Reid resigned from Sony Music, Saturday in the wake of harassment claims from female assistant
L.A. Reid, 60, was the head of Sony Music Entertainment’s Epic Records
He co-founded LaFace Records with Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds, in 1989
LaFace was eventually absorbed into Sony
Chairman/CEO of Epic, L.A. Reid, resigned Saturday amid accusations of sexual harassment
Reid, who co-founded LaFace Records in 1989 and also served as chairman and CEO of the Island Def Jam Music Group, faces a litany of accusations from a female assistant.
The woman’s attorneys reportedly wrote Sony with a list of actions amounting to harassment by her boss, which she said made it impossible for her to continue working at Epic Records.
Reid, who’s responsible for signing Bobby Brown, Boyz II Men, TLC, Mariah Carey, Avril Laving, Paula Abdul, Kanye West, Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez, announced his departure from Sony Music without warning Saturday.
Billboard reported that the letter from the attorney’s reportedly, details alleged harassment the claimant had faced on a daily basis, which included alleged inappropriate remarks about her appearance and clothing and alleged propositions that caused her embarrassment and distress.
The letter also threatened litigation if a settlement wasn’t reached.
According to Billboard, it’s not clear if Sony’s investigation had confirmed any of the letter’s allegations, and one person in Reid’s camp said the letter contained inaccuracies.
L.A. Reid gets a peck on the cheek fom Britney Spears on ‘X Factor. reid was a judge on the TV show for two seasons, from 2011-2012.
Reid was the only current black label CEO at the three major record companies. The 60-year-old former drummer and three-time Grammy winner, who also served as a judge on the first two seasons of “The X Factor,” officially joined Epic Records in 2011 after stepping down from Island Def Jam.
He was appointed head of Epic by current chairman Doug Morris, then the CEO of Sony. Before joining Sony in 2011, Morris was running Universal Music Group, where he also employed Reid. Moving over to Sony Music, he appointed Reid chairman/CEO of Epic.
Sony confirmed in a press release Saturday, that Reid had left the company, but declined to comment further.
“L.A. Reid will be leaving the company,” a statement from the company read.
Sony hasn’t indicated who might replace Reid. Sylvia Rhone, president of Epic, has served as Reid’s second in command.
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