According to a Variety report, published on Wednesday (June 4), Russell Simmons has filed a defamation lawsuit against HBO Max and the filmmakers behind the 2020 documentary, On the Record. In his suit, which was filed on Tuesday (June 3) in New York, the embattled rap mogul claims the movie defames his name and that several executives at Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of HBO Max, including CEO John Stankey, allegedly suppressed evidence that corroborated his account of events.

On the Record, directed by Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick, explores testimonials of several women, including former A&R executive Drew Dixon, who alleged that Simmons sexually assaulted them in the 1980s and 1990s when he was the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings. Simmons has vehemently denied all allegations.

"Despite voluminous support for Mr. Simmons in the form of credible information, persuasive evidence, witness statements, and calls for further investigation by notable members of the media, politics, and the civil rights movement, the defendants simply disregarded it, and released, and continue to re-release globally, a film that tremendously disparaged and damaged Mr. Simmons with salacious and defamatory accusations that he vehemently denies," Russell Simmons' attorney Imran Ansari and co-counsel Carla DiMare said in a written statement to Variety.

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