Russell Simmons rape accuser drops $5 million suit

A documentary filmmaker who accused Russell Simmons of raping her in 2016 has dropped her lawsuit against him.

Jennifer Jarosik filed the suit in January, seeking $5 million. She alleged that Simmons invited her to his home on Doheny Drive and then physically overpowered her. She also repeated the claim in an interview on “Megyn Kelly Today,” in which she alleged that Simmons also sexually assaulted her at his office in 2011. Her attorney said the second episode fell outside the statute of limitations.

Simmons strongly denied the claims, and earlier this month filed an answer to the suit quoting from emails and text messages from Jarosik. In a message a few weeks after the 2016 incident, she wrote, “Sending love <3.” A few days later, she wrote “I miss u Russell. r u ok?”

The answer also alleged that Jarosik had been deemed an unfit parent and was found by a court to have a “propensity to exaggerate” and “untreated mental health issues.” Simmons’ attorney alleged that Jarosik was seeking financing from Simmons for a film, and that the rape claim amounted to a shakedown.

“Only after hearing that women were able to recover money for real abuse by actual sexual predators, did Ms. Jarosik decide to see if she could extract large amounts of money from Mr. Simmons,” his attorney wrote.

Simmons stepped down from his companies last fall amid numerous harassment and sexual assault allegations. He has adamantly denied each of the claims.

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