Russell Simmons Owes $3 Million After Failing To Pay Settlements

Russell Simmons is on the hook for millions after failing to pay three women the settlements they previously agreed upon.

Three confessions of judgment were filed in New York County Supreme Court on Wednesday on behalf of Sil Lai Abrams, Sherri Abernathy, and Wendy Carolina Franco, according to reports from Variety. The Def Jam founder owes these women a total of $3 million after failing to pay them previously agreed-upon settlements.

The confessions of judgment were part of confidential settlement agreements the women entered into with the disgraced music mogul in November 2023. While Simmons agreed to pay each woman large sums of money “for claimant’s alleged personal, physical injuries and sickness,” by October 1, that date has passed, and he has failed to pay.

As part of a settlement, Simmons reportedly provided the confessions of judgment to the plaintiffs last year. In New York state court, they give the plaintiffs an expedited means to obtain judgments and to begin the collections process In the event of a default, according to Variety.

Under the settlements, while Simmons did not admit to any wrongdoing, he did pledge to pay $1,265,000 each to Abrams and Abernathy, and $515,000 to Franco. The documents do not state why the original settlements were made.

Abrams has previously alleged that Simmons raped her in 1994. Over the course of the past decade, more than 20 women have accused the Def Jam founder of sexual assault, including another allegation this past February from a Jane Doe who once worked for his label and said that he raped her in the late ‘90s.

Just two days after that lawsuit, another former Def Jam executive named Drew Dixon sued him for defamation after she claimed he sexually assaulted her before branding her as a “liar.”