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Entertainment mogul Russell Simmons quits business empire after being accused by Jenny Lumet of forcing her into sex and ‘locking her in his car’

&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpcnt">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpa">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<span class&equals;"wpa-about">Advertisements<&sol;span>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"u top&lowbar;amp">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<amp-ad width&equals;"300" height&equals;"265"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; type&equals;"pubmine"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-siteid&equals;"109460728"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-section&equals;"1">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;amp-ad>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div><h6><span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;030000&semi;"><strong>Russell Simmons quits business empire after yet accusation of sexual misconduct&comma; weeks apart<&sol;strong><&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;030000&semi;"><strong>Jenny Lumet&comma; 50&comma; revealed her accusation in The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday <&sol;strong><&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;030000&semi;"><strong>She says she was 24&comma; when Simmons 10 years older&comma;  forced himself on her after locking the doors of his chauffeur-driven car once she was inside it  <&sol;strong><&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;030000&semi;"><strong>She claims Simmons locked her in his chauffeur-driven car in 1991 after offering her a ride home from a restaurant where they had been dining separately<&sol;strong><&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;030000&semi;">She says once in the car&comma; he told his driver to take them to his apartment against her will <&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;030000&semi;">There&comma; she says he led her into a &&num;8216&semi;dark&&num;8217&semi; bedroom and forced her into sex <&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;030000&semi;">Simmons&comma; 60&comma; says he remembers the night in a &&num;8216&semi;different&&num;8217&semi; way but said he was &&num;8216&semi;anguished&&num;8217&semi; over her claims <&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;030000&semi;">Mogul announced he was stepping down from his &dollar;340million business empire that spans entertainment&comma; clothing&comma; marketing and lifestyle&comma;  in light of the allegations <&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;030000&semi;">Lumet is the second person to accuse him of sexual misconduct <&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;030000&semi;">Former Victoria&&num;8217&semi;s Secret model Keri Claussen Khalighi previously accused him of sexually assaulting her in the same apt in 1991 <&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<div>&NewLine;<h6 class&equals;"mol-para-with-font"><img class&equals;"alignnone size-full wp-image-286073" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2017&sol;11&sol;Russell-Simmons-and-accuser-Jenny-Lumet-2&period;jpg" alt&equals;"Russell Simmons and accuser Jenny Lumet 2&period;jpg" width&equals;"928" height&equals;"523" &sol;><strong>Russell Simmons quits business empire after yet accusation of sexual misconduct&comma; by actress Jenny Lumet &lbrack;insert&rsqb;&comma; the second woman&comma; just weeks apart<&sol;strong><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"mol-para-with-font">Entertainment mogul Russel Simmons has quit his business and music empire after being accused of sexual misconduct&comma;a second time in weeks<br &sol;>&NewLine;On Thursday&comma;  actress and screenwriter Jenny Lumet&comma; accused Simmons of forcing her into having sex with him after allegedly locking her in his car and taking her to his apartment against her will in 1991&period; Jenny is the daughter of late Film director Sidney Lumet&comma;grew up in hollywood&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;The Lummet accusation channels  an earlier allegation by former model Keri Claussen Khalighi claims she too was assaulted by him in the same apartment as Brett Ratner watched&period; Both alleged assaults happened the same year&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;In an open letter to Simmons that was published by&comma; Lumet <a class&equals;"" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;hollywoodreporter&period;com&sol;news&sol;writer-jenny-lumet-russell-simmons-sexually-violated-me-guest-column-1062934" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"nofollow noopener">The Hollywood Reporter<&sol;a>&comma; Lumet&comma; 50&comma; said she was prompted to share her accusations after reading Simmons&&num;8217&semi; denial of the other woman&&num;8217&semi;s claims&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;She says she was 24&comma; Simmons 10 years older&comma; when he forced himself on her after locking the doors of his chauffeur-driven car once she was inside it&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;They had both been at the Manhattan restaurant Inodchine&comma; dining separately&comma; when she says he lured her to the vehicle by offering her a ride home&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"artSplitter mol-img-group">&NewLine;<h6 class&equals;"imageCaption"><img class&equals;"alignnone wp-image-286070" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2017&sol;11&sol;Russell-Simmons-3&period;png" alt&equals;"Russell Simmons 3" width&equals;"674" height&equals;"480" &sol;><strong>Russel Simmons quitting his business to focus on &&num;8216&semi;personal growth&&num;8217&semi; and &&num;8216&semi;healing&&num;8217&semi;<&sol;strong><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"artSplitter mol-img-group">&NewLine;<h6 class&equals;"imageCaption"><img class&equals;"alignnone wp-image-286067" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2017&sol;11&sol;Jenny-Lumet-and-her-movie-director-dad-Sidney-Lummet-2&period;png" alt&equals;"Jenny Lumet&comma; and her movie director dad Sidney Lummet 2" width&equals;"650" height&equals;"663" &sol;><br &sol;>&NewLine;<strong>No&comma; you are not getting off with the denials&excl; Jenny with her dad&comma; legendary film producer Sidney Lumet in a 2008 photo&comma; he died in 2011 says she was assaulted by a man she was familiar with&comma; Simmons&comma; in 1991<&sol;strong><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"imageCaption">Jenny Lumet&comma; claimed on Thursday that Simmons forced her into having sex with him in 1991 when she was 24 and he was ten years older&period; She is pictured with her father in 2008&period; Sidney died in 2011<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"mol-para-with-font">Simmons latest accuser is the 50-year-old daughter of legendary film producer Sidney and Gail Buckley&comma; whose grandmother is the iconic jazz singer Lena Horne&period; She was familiar with Simmons having socialized with him in groups for years beforehand&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;On the night of the alleged encounter&comma; she said he switched from the bubbly and friendly person she knew and said &&num;8216&semi;no&&num;8217&semi; twice to his amorous overtures after she gave his chauffeur her address&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Once at his apartment building&comma; she says he led her into an elevator where he &&num;8216&semi;pressed his body and mouth&&num;8217&semi; on to her as they ascended to his apartment&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;It was dark&period; You closed the door&period; At that point&comma; I did what I was told&period; There was penetration&period;&&num;8217&semi;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Jenny Lumet in an open letter to Russell Simmons alleging how he attacked her in 1991<br &sol;>&NewLine;There&comma; she says he led her into his &&num;8216&semi;dark&&num;8217&semi; bedroom where the alleged attack took place&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8216&semi;It was dark&comma; but not pitch dark&period; You closed the door&period; At that point&comma; I simply did what I was told&period; There was penetration&period; At one point you were only semi-erect and appeared frustrated&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8216&semi;Angry&quest; I remember being afraid that you would deem that my fault and become violent&period; I did not know if you were angry&comma; but I was afraid that you were&comma;&&num;8217&semi; she said&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;She then described how Simmons told her to &&num;8216&semi;turn on to&&num;8217&semi; her stomach before he ejaculated&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8216&semi;I desperately wanted to keep the situation from escalating&period; I wanted you to feel that I was not going to be difficult&period; I wanted to stay as contained as I could&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8216&semi;You told me to turn over on my stomach&period; You said something about a part of my body&period; You did not ejaculate inside me&comma;&&num;8217&semi; she said&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Afterwards&comma; she claims she got herself a taxi and went home&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h6 class&equals;"mol-para-with-font"><img class&equals;"alignnone wp-image-286065" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2017&sol;11&sol;Jenny-Lummet-and-Russells-brother-Joseph-Simmons-in-1988-&period;png" alt&equals;"Jenny Lummet and Russell's brother&comma; Joseph Simmons in 1988 &period;png" width&equals;"958" height&equals;"594" &sol;><strong>Jenny Lumet and Joseph Simmons&comma; aka Rev Run&comma; Russell&&num;8217&semi;s brother together on the 1988 film &&num;8216&semi;Tougher Than Leather &&num;8216&semi;<&sol;strong><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"artSplitter mol-img-group">&NewLine;<p class&equals;"imageCaption">Lumet said the pair had known each other for years and that Simmons gently pursued her before the alleged attack&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Jenny Lumet and Simmons worked together years earlier on the 1988 film &&num;8216&semi;Tougher Than Leather&&num;8217&semi; which was put together to promote Run DMC&&num;8217&semi;s latest album at the time&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"mol-para-with-font">In response to her claims on Thursday&comma; Simmons released a statement to say he was stepping down from his business empire worth a reported &dollar;340million that spans 11 yoga&comma; health&comma; lifestyle&comma; business&comma; communications&comma; finance and entertainment companies along with his three charities&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Simmons acknowledged the encounter occurred&comma; but claiming &&num;8216&semi;While her memory of that evening is very different from mine&comma; it is now clear to me that her feelings of fear and intimidation are real&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8216&semi;While I have never been violent&comma; I have been thoughtless and insensitive in some of my relationships over many decades and I sincerely and humbly apologize&period;&comma;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Simmons  said he would focus on &&num;8216&semi;personal growth&&num;8217&semi; and &&num;8216&semi;healing&&num;8217&semi;&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8216&semi;This is a time of great transition&&num;8230&semi; &&num;8216&semi;As for me&comma; I will step aside and commit myself to continuing my personal growth&comma; spiritual learning and above all to listening&period;&&num;8217&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"artSplitter mol-img-group">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"mol-img">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"image-wrap fff-pic">&NewLine;<h6 class&equals;"overlay-icon mobile-gallery"><img class&equals;"alignnone wp-image-286066" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2017&sol;11&sol;Jenny-Lumet-and-her-dad-late-film-director-Sidney-Lumet-3&period;png" alt&equals;"Jenny Lumet&comma; and her dad&comma; late film director Sidney Lumet 3&period;png" width&equals;"893" height&equals;"852" &sol;><strong>Ambushed&colon; Lumet &lbrack;in 1985 photo with movie director dad&rsqb;&comma; grew up in famous film and music circles&period; Her grandmother is the jazz singer Lena Horne and she knew her attacker from previous business relations<&sol;strong><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"imageCaption">Her alleged attacker told Lumet he was a fan of grandmother&&num;8217&semi;s &lbrack;legendary jazz singer Lena Horne&&num;8217&semi;s&rsqb;&period; At the time of the alleged assault in 1991&comma; Simmons was already a star due largely to the popularity of Run DMC and the success of his music label Def Jam&comma; which he co-founded with Rick Rubin&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8216&semi;Dear Russell&comma; Lumet writes&comma; &&num;8216&semi; I met you around 1987&comma; through Rick Rubin&comma; who has always been kind to me&period; Rick knew my sister through NYU and asked me&comma; at the upstairs bar in a nightclub called the Palladium&comma; to be in a movie you were producing that Rick was directing&comma; starring RUN DMC&period; It was&comma; frankly&comma; a lousy movie&comma; and I was terrible in it&period;&&num;8217&semi;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Lumet claimed Simmons told her he had a &&num;8216&semi;thing for a little yellow girl&&num;8217&semi;&comma; an apparent reference to her mixed-race&period; She also claims that he once sent her 250 balloons with a note which read&colon; &&num;8216&semi;Please baby&comma; please baby&comma; baby&comma; baby&comma; baby&period;&&num;8217&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"mol-para-with-font">On the night in question&comma; she says she innocently accepted his offer of a ride home but that the trip quickly turned sinister&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;The driver&comma; she says&comma; did nothing to help her&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"mol-img-group floatRHS">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"mol-img">&NewLine;<h6 class&equals;"container-3zJLP vertical-2XJd5"> <img class&equals;"alignnone wp-image-286064" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2017&sol;11&sol;Keri-Claussen-Khalighi-and-Russell-Simmons-1&period;png" alt&equals;"Keri Claussen Khalighi and Russell Simmons 1" width&equals;"683" height&equals;"567" &sol;><strong>Former Victoria&&num;8217&semi;s Secret model Keri Claussen Khalighi &lbrack;left&period; in 1995 photo&rsqb;&comma; earlier accused Simmons &lbrack;right&rsqb;&comma; of sexually assaulting her in his LA apt in 1991&comma; while a friend watched <&sol;strong><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"mol-para-with-font">&&num;8216&semi;You offered me a ride to my home&period; I said&comma; sure&comma; Lumet writes&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8216&semi;At no time that night did I say&colon; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Russell&comma; I will go home with you”&period; Or&comma; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Come home with me&period;” Or &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;I will have sex with you&period;” Or &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;I have the desire to have sex with you&period;”<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8216&semi;I got into the car with you&period; The driver began to drive&period; I assumed you knew where I lived&comma; because you had sent me 250 balloons&comma; but I gave the driver my address on 19th Street and 2nd Avenue&comma; Jenny Lumet recounts&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8216&semi;You said to the driver&colon; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;No&period;” I didn’t understand&comma; so I said&colon; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Russell&quest;” I said&comma; again&comma; to the driver&colon; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;19th Street&period;”<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8216&semi;Again you said to the driver&colon; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;No&period; ”<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8216&semi;Then&comma; the car doors locked&period; It was loud&period; The noise made me jump&period;&&num;8217&semi;<br &sol;>&NewLine;The pair continued to run in to one another at events including the Oscars for years after the alleged attack&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;According to Lumet&comma; they were cordial and &&num;8216&semi;nodded&&num;8217&semi; at one another but never spoke of the sexual encounter again&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;She said she was suddenly compelled to address it this month after watching him deny the claims of others who say he has abused them&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8216&semi;I can’t leave those women twisting in the wind&period; Maybe the recalling of this incident can be helpful&period; I don’t know if it can&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Lumet said&colon; &&num;8216&semi;In this very moment&comma; I feel a pang to protect your daughters&period; I don’t think you are inclined to protect mine&comma;&&num;8217&semi; she said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"artSplitter mol-img-group">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"mol-img">&NewLine;<h6 class&equals;"container-3zJLP vertical-2XJd5"><img class&equals;"alignnone wp-image-286069" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2017&sol;11&sol;Russell-Simmons-and-girlfriend-Hana-Nitsche1&period;png" alt&equals;"Russell Simmons and girlfriend Hana Nitsche1" width&equals;"638" height&equals;"932" &sol;><strong>Simmons who was married to Kimora Lee Simmons is currently dating Hana Nitsche&comma; &lbrack;right&rsqb;<&sol;strong><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<div id&equals;"mol-33ff9800-d5f2-11e7-a47d-d39c3241e308" class&equals;"art-ins mol-factbox news" data-version&equals;"2">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"ins cleared mol-factbox-body">&NewLine;<p>In early November&comma; former Victoria&&num;8217&semi;s Secret Model&comma;  Keri Claussen Khaligli&comma; called out Simmons who she claims raped her in her teens at his apartment while a mutual friend&comma; Hollywood figure Brett Ratner&comma; watched&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"socialContainer-1Yly1">&NewLine;<p class&equals;"mol-para-with-font">She said the three had been at dinner and retreated to Simmons apartment afterwards&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"mol-para-with-font">In response&comma; Simmons issued a strongly worded denial&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8216&semi;I completely and unequivocally deny the horrendous allegations of non-consensual sex against me with every fiber of my being&comma;&&num;8217&semi; he said&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Simmons has three children with ex-wife Kimora Lee Simmons&period; He has been in a relationship with 31-year-old German model Hana Nitsche for five years&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;At the time of his alleged attacks on Lumet and Khalighi&comma; the single Simmons was already a prominent figure in the music industry&comma; courtesy of Def Jam Records which he co-founded with Rick Rubin in 1985&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"mol-factbox-title">RUSSELL SIMMON&&num;8217&semi;S STATEMENT<br &sol;>&NewLine;<em style&equals;"font-size&colon; 16px&semi; font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">&&num;8216&semi;I have been informed with great anguish of Jenny Lumet’s recollection about our night together in 1991&period; I know Jenny and her family and have seen her several times over the years since the evening she described&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;<&sol;em><em style&equals;"font-size&colon; 16px&semi; font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">While her memory of that evening is very different from mine&comma; it is now clear to me that her feelings of fear and intimidation are real&period; While I have never been violent&comma; I have been thoughtless and insensitive in some of my relationships over many decades and I sincerely and humbly apologize&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;<&sol;em><em style&equals;"font-size&colon; 16px&semi; font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">This is a time of great transition&period; The voices of the voiceless&comma; those who have been hurt or shamed&comma; deserve and need to be heard&period; As the corridors of power inevitably make way for a new generation&comma; I don’t want to be a distraction so I am removing myself from the businesses that I founded&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;<&sol;em><em style&equals;"font-size&colon; 16px&semi; font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">The companies will now be run by a new and diverse generation of extraordinary executives who are moving the culture and consciousness forward&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;<&sol;em><em style&equals;"font-size&colon; 16px&semi; font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">I will convert the studio for yogic science into a not-for-profit center of learning and healing&period; As for me&comma; I will step aside and commit myself to continuing my personal growth&comma; spiritual learning and above all to listening&period;&&num;8217&semi;<&sol;em><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;

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