by Jeroslyn JoVonn
January 13, 2026
L.A. Reid has settled with former Arista Records exec, Drew Dixon, who accused him of sexual assault and harassment.
Music mogul Antonio “L.A.” Reid has reached a settlement with former Arista Records executive Drew Dixon, ending her sexual assault lawsuit and sidestepping a trial where John Legend was slated to testify.
The case was settled on Jan. 12, just ahead of jury selection and opening statements in Dixon’s lawsuit alleging sexual assault and retaliation by Reid in the early 2000s, as cited by The Hollywood Reporter. Reid’s attorney, Imran Ansari, said the matter was “amicably resolved” without any admission of liability.
The settlement avoids a trial expected to feature high-profile testimony, including from John Legend, with whom Dixon worked during her time recruiting him at Arista before later reuniting when she became general manager at Homeschool Records.
Dixon, who filed the suit under New York’s Adult Survivors Act—which temporarily reopened the window for sexual misconduct claims regardless of the statute of limitations—said she hopes her advocacy for the law “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,” she said.
In a 2023 New York federal lawsuit, Dixon accused Reid of sexually assaulting her twice in 2001—once on a private jet and again in a car—and alleged he retaliated after she distanced herself, creating a hostile work environment that pushed her out of the industry. The suit followed Dixon’s earlier public allegations in 2017 against Russell Simmons and Reid, which she later detailed in HBO Max’s 2020 documentary On the Record.
Dixon has said the alleged assaults, retaliation, and resulting health issues derailed her career.
“Drew has been one of the most courageous and outspoken supporters of survivors of sexual abuse,” said Kenya Davis, a lawyer for Dixon. “Her advocacy, including her instrumental role in advancing the Adult Survivors Act, has helped shift the balance of power in the music industry, creating a path to justice for survivors.”
In addition to Reid, Dixon sued Simmons in 2024, accusing him of defamation for denying her allegation that he raped her in 1995. The case is pending, in the discovery phase, as Dixon is among roughly 20 women who have accused the disgraced hip-hop mogul of sexual assault or misconduct.
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