Russell Simmons has quietly resolved a protracted financial dispute with three women who accused him of sexual misconduct after failing to pay over $3 million in agreed settlements for more than a year.
The Def Jam co-founder reached a resolution with accusers Wendy Franco, Sil Lai Abrams and Sherri Abernathy just days after Rolling Stone sent detailed questions about his nonpayment to his legal team. The terms of the resolution remain confidential.
Simmons had signed settlement agreements in November 2023 totaling $3.045 million with the three women, but missed his payment deadline in October 2024.
Court documents revealed he owed Franco $515,000 and both Abrams and Abernathy $1,265,000 each for claims related to alleged sexual misconduct dating back to the 1980s and 1990s.
The Hip-Hop pioneer’s failure to honor the settlements caused additional emotional trauma for the women, who described the year-long delay as devastating. While Simmons missed his payment obligations, he maintained an active social media presence from his residence in Bali, Indonesia, where he has lived since 2018.
His Instagram account features yoga sessions, meditation posts and wellness content from his involvement with the Gdas Bali Health and Wellness Resort. The settlement delays occurred as Simmons faces additional financial pressures.
Court filings show that he owes at least $8 million to three other accusers—Tina Klein-Baker, Toni Sallie, and Alexia Jones—who claim he has paid only $220,000 of the agreed-upon settlements as of January 2025.
The music mogul filed a $20 million defamation lawsuit against HBO and documentary filmmakers in June 2025 over the 2020 film “On the Record,” which featured interviews with several of his accusers. HBO called the lawsuit lacking “both merit and substance.”
Simmons has repeatedly denied all allegations of sexual misconduct, stating in 2017 that “these horrific accusations have shocked me to my core and all of my relations have been consensual.”