Over the weekend, a story broke about Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons' alleged sexual assault of a then 17-year-old model in 1991.
Keri Claussen Khalighi had accused Simmons of assaulting and harassing her at his New York apartment, and claimed that director Brett Ratner - who was himself recently accused of sexual misconduct - was present at the time. Khalighi said that she had met the pair at a casting call and they took her to dinner before inviting her back to Simmons's apartment, where he assaulted her.
Simmons disputed her account, saying that "everything that occurred between Keri and me occurred with her full consent and participation" - and now had released a longer statement refuting the allegations on The Hollywood Reporter.
In it, he said that three people had signed statements that "our experiences that weekend with Keri Claussen Khalighi 26 years ago were consensual" and that Khalighi had "never accused me of what she has said publicly" in their subsequent meetings over the years.
Read it in full here.
