Kevin Liles, former president of Def Jam, has been exonerated in court after a federal judge dismissed a sexual assault lawsuit against him, citing a 2005 settlement with Universal Music Group (UMG) that precludes the claims.
The case, filed in February by a woman identified as Jane Doe, alleged that Liles sexually harassed and raped her in 2002 while she worked as his executive assistant.
Liles, 57, denied the allegations, calling them “patently false” and asserting he has “always treated people right, especially women.”
It turns out that the anonymous Jane Doe’s allegations are barred from court upon discovery that Def Jam’s parent, Universal Music Group (UMG), already paid the woman. She was paid $47,500 in 2005 to settle a civil complaint she’d filed with New York state regulators.
The settlement she signed in 2005 included a release covering “any and all” claims tied to the same alleged conduct.
“Liles is expressly and unambiguously covered by the terms of the agreement, given that he is listed as a releasee in the preamble and included in the relevant definition of ‘Universal,’” U.S. District Court Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald wrote in her ruling. “The Agreement consistently and intentionally utilizes broad language discharging ‘any and all’ claims which ‘are known or reasonably should be known’ by plaintiff.”
As Rolling Stone reports, in the original 21-page filing, the woman alleged she was unlawfully fired in retaliation for complaining about Liles’ verbally harassing and dancing inappropriately with her. That complaint, notably, did not include rape claims. UMG agreed to pay the woman in exchange for her agreeing not to bring further legal action, though the company did not admit any wrongdoing.
Jane Doe’s lawyers argued against the recent case dismissal, claiming she had “a good faith belief that the scope of the release was not intended to cover the rape by Kevin Liles.” They said the woman considered the $47,500 a “severance package” for her employment claims.
Kevin Liles rose to be one of the most well-known execs in urban music. He served as president of Def Jam Recordings and executive vice president of The Island Def Jam Music Group from 1999 to 2004. He also served as EVP of Warner Music Group. In 2012, he cofounded 300 Entertainment however, Liles stepped down from his position at the label last September.