L.A. Reid didn’t persuade a New York choose to dismiss a sexual assault case. Decide Valerie Caproni allowed music producer Drew Dixon’s lawsuit towards the longtime govt to proceed in a ruling on Tuesday (August 13).
Dixon accused Reid of sexually assaulting her twice throughout her time at Arista Information round 20 years in the past. Her lawsuit included claims of sexual battery and assault, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional misery and a violation of the New York Metropolis Gender Motivated Violence Act.
The primary assault allegedly occurred throughout an organization retreat in Puerto Rico in 2001. Dixon stated Reid digitally penetrated her with out consent. The second assault passed off just a few months later when Reid allegedly groped and kissed Dixon in a automotive, once more with out her permission. Dixon’s grievance detailed Reid’s persistent sexual harassment and retaliation for rejecting his advances.
Reid filed motions to dismiss a number of the claims, citing the statute of limitations and venue points. Decide Caproni denied these motions. She dominated the claims of false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional misery weren’t time-barred underneath the New York Grownup Survivors Act, which allowed survivors of sexual assault to sue regardless of expired statutes of limitations. The choose additionally discovered the occasions within the grievance had a considerable connection to the Southern District of New York the place the lawsuit was filed.
“The coordination of the retreat has a ‘shut nexus to’ Plaintiff’s false imprisonment declare because the acts about which she complains occurred on the flight that was organized in New York,” the choose wrote. “Whereas the Criticism doesn’t particularly allege that Defendant instructed [Arista executive Karen] Kwak to inform Plaintiff that different executives can be on the flight, viewing the details within the mild most favorable to the Plaintiff, the Court docket can infer that the scheme to mislead Plaintiff in regards to the journey preparations occurred in Manhattan.”
Decide Caproni rejected Reid’s request to strike 10 sections of New York Penal Regulation Article 130 cited within the lawsuit. Dixon argued towards Reid’s efforts, calling them an “inappropriate try to thrust the Court docket into the impermissible function of factfinder on the pleading stage.”
“As Plaintiff notes, Defendant didn’t problem the quotation to Sections 130.52 (forcible touching) and 130.55 (sexual abuse within the third diploma); it’s obscure any prejudice brought on by extra citations to different parts of Article 130,” the choose dominated. “As a result of Defendant has not met his burden, his Movement to Strike is denied.”
Reid left Epic Information after a feminine assistant accused him of sexual harassment in 2017. He apologized for saying “something able to being misinterpreted” on the time.