Yet another woman has come forward to accuse music mogul Russell Simmons of acting inappropriately, bringing the total to nearly a dozen.
During an interview with The Daily Beast, Real Housewives of New York star Luann de Lesseps said Simmons groped her in an elevator “around three summers ago” in Miami.
“He grabbed my ass in an elevator, he was just a pig,” de Lesseps, who said men have behaved inappropriately toward her throughout her life, recalled.
“I haven’t told anybody about that before. I was grossed out. I was like ‘How dare you,’” she continued. “He invaded me, he took advantage of me, being who he is, thinking he is all ‘it,’ all everything. He thought he could just do that. I looked at him and said, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’”
De Lesseps is just the latest woman to come forward to accuse Simmons of misbehavior. Back in January, the NYPD announced it was investigating the Def Jam founder after multiple women had come forward to accuse him of rape and sexual assault. Simmons denied the allegations, asserting that he “cannot accept responsibility” for something he hasn’t done.
After de Lesseps’ Daily Beast interview, Simmons’ rep reissued his previous statement denying all of the accusations.
“They have shocked me to my core as I have never been abusive or violent in any way in my relations with women,” he said.
“I am blessed to have shared extraordinary relationships, whether through work or love, with many great women and I have enormous respect for the women’s movement worldwide and their struggle for respect, dignity, equality and power.
“I am devastated by any reason I may have given to anyone to say or think of me in the ways that are currently being described”