A New York federal judge, U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald, has dismissed a civil sexual assault suit brought against former Def Jam President Kevin Liles, finding that settlement signed nearly two decades ago barred the anonymous plaintiff from pursuing new claims. The ruling ends a case that revisited conduct the plaintiff alleged occurred while Liles served as president of Def Jam Recordings in 2002, according to Hot97.
The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, accused Liles of alleged harassment, unwanted physical contact and rape, which Liles denied. Judge Buchwald concluded that the lawsuit could not proceed because Doe had already settled related claims with Universal Music Group, Def Jam’s parent company, in 2005.
According to court filings, UMG paid Doe $47,500 to settle a complaint she filed alleging retaliation and verbal harassment. That filing did not include rape claims, but Doe agreed not to pursue further legal action based on the same alleged conduct.
Liles, who led Def Jam from 1999 to 2004, was not a party to the 2005 settlement. Still, Judge Buchwald upheld that the contract’s plain language barred Doe’s attempt to revive allegations decades later. The order closed the matter without further proceedings. The court dismissed the suit with prejudice, ruling that no amendment could go around the terms of the settlement.
Judge Buchwald’s order held that the settlement’s release language extended to Liles. She wrote that the agreement “expressly and unambiguously covered” the executive and noted that it discharged “any and all” claims that were known or reasonably should have been known at the time. She added that nothing in the agreement limited the scope of its protections, despite Liles having already departed Def Jam by the time UMG finalized the settlement.
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