Jimmy Iovine has been accused of sexually abusing and harassing a woman in 2007, as detailed in a newly-filed summons.
According to Pitchfork, the document was filed in Supreme Court of the State of New York County on Wednesday (November 22) by a woman who is currently only identified as Jane Doe.
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Doe is suing for assault and battery, as well as violations of the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act and the New York City Human Right Law – alleging she was “sexually abused, forcibly touched, and subjected to sexual harassment and retaliation” in August 2007.
A spokesperson for the Interscope Records co-founder told Rolling Stone that they were “shocked and baffled” by the summons. “This inquiry is the first we’ve heard of this matter. No one has ever made a claim like this against Jimmy Iovine, nor have we been contacted or made aware of any complaint by anyone, including this unknown plaintiff prior to now.”
While the summons has been filed, a lawsuit has not — but it is forthcoming, according to the report.
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The news comes amid multiple sexual harassment and abuse lawsuits that have been coming down on music industry executives in recent weeks.
Just hours before the news on Jimmy Iovine was reported, Diddy’s former Bad Boy president, Harve Pierre, was sued for sexual assault by his ex-assistant.
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Pierre allegedly groomed and sexually assaulted the female employee — whose identity has been kept secret — in the mid-2010s, according to court documents obtained by Rolling Stone.
In her suit, which was filed in New York County Supreme Court, the alleged victim claims that the record executive “sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions from 2016 to 2017,” causing her “physical, emotional and psychological injuries, along with pain and suffering.”
She is seeking punitive damages and wants to be “fully and fairly” compensated.
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Bad Boy Entertainment, Bad Boy Records and Combs Enterprises are also named as co-defendants in the suit, and are accused of negligence and gender violence for failing to “properly supervise” Pierre. Diddy himself is not named as a co-defendant.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, a Bad Boy spokesperson said: “We have recently become aware of a lawsuit filed in New York by a former employee. The allegations are from many years ago that were never brought to the attention of the company.
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“Neither the plaintiff nor the executive are current employees of the company. We are now investigating the allegations, and our top priority is the safety and well-being of our employees.”
Pierre and Diddy became friends in the late 1980s when they were students at Howard University. The executive began working at Bad Boy in the early 1990s and “has over 70 executive producer/A&R album credits and 40 music video editor credits” to his name, according to his LinkedIn profile.
After leaving the label in 1995, he returned as president until his departure in 2017.
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The lawsuit against Pierre was filed less than a week after Cassie sued Diddy for allegedly raping and abusing her during their decade-long relationship.
The mogul (real name Sean Combs) vehemently denied the allegations. The following day, he and Cassie “amicably” settled the lawsuit, with his lawyer Ben Brafman stating that his decision to settle “is in no way an admission of wrongdoing.”
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“Mr. Combs‘ decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims,” he added. “He is happy they got to a mutual settlement and wishes Ms. Ventura the best.”
