Grammy award-winning music mogul Antonio "L.A." Reid has reached a confidential settlement in a sexual assault lawsuit filed by a former record company executive, just as a trial was set to begin.
A Settlement on the Eve of Trial
The resolution was announced on Monday, 12 January 2026, the very day jury selection was scheduled to start in a Manhattan federal court. The plaintiff, former Arista Records executive Drew Dixon, had accused Reid of sexually assaulting her twice in 2001 and subsequently sabotaging her career when she rejected his advances.
Kenya Davis, a lawyer for Dixon, confirmed the settlement terms are confidential. Outside the courthouse, Dixon appeared with her family and legal team, stating she was "excited to get back to making music" after what she described as an "arduous process." Her mother, former Washington, D.C., Mayor Sharon Pratt, called it an "excruating journey."
Allegations and Career Impact
Dixon's lawsuit, filed in 2023 under New York State's Adult Survivors Act, alleged that Reid assaulted her while he was chief executive of Arista Records. She claimed that after she rebuffed his continued advances, he cut her budget and sidelined artists she supported. Dixon left Arista in 2002, contending that her "meteoric trajectory" in the music business was derailed by Reid's harassment.
In a statement, Reid's lawyer, Imran H. Ansari, said: "Mr. Reid has amicably resolved this matter with Ms. Dixon without any admission of liability."
The trial would have seen high-profile witnesses testify for Dixon, including musician John Legend, Aku Orraca-Tetteh, and industry executive Roy Lott.
Advocacy and Moving Forward
Dixon first made her allegations public in 2017 and detailed them in the 2020 documentary "On the Record," which examined sexual misconduct in the music industry. She has also accused ex-hip hop mogul Russell Simmons of rape, which he denies, and has a separate defamation lawsuit pending against him.
The Adult Survivors Act provided a one-year window for sex abuse accusers to sue, even if the statute of limitations had expired. Speaking to reporters, Dixon expressed hope that her advocacy would help create a safer music business. "I hope that survivors today see a ray of light peeking through the clouds," she said.
In a written statement, Dixon emphasised her desire to return to her creative roots. "Music has always been my greatest source of comfort and joy," she said, adding that she has "big ideas for future projects that will be guided by creativity and integrity."
Davis, her lawyer, said the settlement empowers Dixon "to move forward with her creative pursuits on her own terms, with her reputation, her voice, and her career reaffirmed."
Reid, who has worked with major artists like Pink, Usher, and Mariah Carey, left his role as CEO of Epic Records in 2017 after a separate sexual harassment accusation from a former assistant.
