settles

Record executive Antonio “L.A.” Reid has settled a sexual assault lawsuit from former employee Drew Dixon, avoiding a jury trial that was set to begin Monday.

In 2023, Dixon filed a lawsuit under the New York Adult Survivors Act, alleging abuse from Reid including sexual harassment, assault and retaliation while she worked under him as an A&R representative at Arista Records.

Dixon alleged in her suit that Reid “digitally penetrated her vulva without her consent” on a private plane in 2001, and groped and kissed her against her will in another incident months later. She claims in her suit that Reid retaliated against her after she spurned his advances, berating her in front of staff after she brought in a young Kanye West for a label audition.

Reid said in court filings that he “adamantly denies the allegations,” but they contributed to the former mogul’s declining reputation within the music industry, after Reid left Epic Records in 2017 following separate claims of harassment.

Reid’s attorney Imran H. Ansari said in a statement to The Times that “Mr. Reid has amicably resolved this matter with Ms. Dixon without any admission of liability.” Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

In a statement to The Times, Dixon said that “I hope my work as an advocate for the Adult Survivors Act helps to bring us closer to a safer music business for everyone. In a world where good news is often hard to find, I hope for survivors that today is a ray of light peeking through the clouds. Music has always been my greatest source of comfort and joy. Even as a kid, I had an uncanny knack for predicting the next cool artist or album, the more eclectic the better. While I have focused on sexual assault advocacy in recent years, I have never stopped fighting for my place in this industry.”

The jury trial was slated to have testimony from some high-profile figures including John Legend, whom Dixon had tried to sign to the label. Dixon also accused the Def Jam mogul Russell Simmons of sexual assault in a 2017 New York Times article and in the 2020 documentary “On The Record.”

The Walt Disney Co. has settled claims that it violated child privacy laws, said the U.S. Department of Justice, with a federal court entering a stipulated order resolving the case, on Tuesday.

The company agreed to pay $10 million in the case in September.

The Justice Department had alleged that Disney Worldwide Services and Disney Entertainment Operations failed to accurately identify some YouTube video content as “Made for Kids,” enabling Disney and other parties to collect personal data from children under 13 years old. This information was then used for targeted advertising without parental notice or consent.

The Federal Trade Commission investigated the matter and referred the case to the Justice Department.

The alleged activities violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act that requires websites and other online parties to safeguard the personal information it collects for children under 13 by notifying parents and obtaining their consent prior to acquiring such data.

“Supporting the well-being and safety of kids and families is at the heart of what we do,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement in September. “Disney has a long tradition of embracing the highest standards of compliance with children’s privacy laws, and we remain committed to investing in the tools needed to continue being a leader in this space.”

In a statement Tuesday, Assistant Atty. Gen. Brett A. Shumate said, “the Justice Department is firmly devoted to ensuring parents have a say in how their children’s information is collected and used. The Department will take swift action to root out any unlawful infringement on parents’ rights to protect their children’s privacy.”

In addition to the $10-million penalty, the stipulated order prohibits Disney from operating on YouTube “in a manner that violates COPPA and requires Disney to create a program that will ensure it properly complies with COPPA on YouTube going forward,” said the Justice Department.

Disney could not immediately be reached for additional comment.