EXCLUSIVE: John Legend Dragged Into L.A. Reid Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Drew Dixon served John Legend with a notice for a deposition in her sexual assault lawsuit against L.A. Reid. According to court documents obtained by AllHipHop, Legend was listed as one of the witnesses in a discovery status report filed in New York on Wednesday (May 1).

“On April 30, 2024, Plaintiff served notices of depositions for the following witnesses: Nichelle Devaille (deposition set for May 7, 2024); Karen Kwak (May 20, 2024); Roy Lott (June 20, 2024); and John Stephens p/k/a John Legend (June 24, 2024),” the civil case’s third discovery report noted.

Dixon sued Reid, the top executive at Arista Records when she worked for the label, in November 2023. Dixon claimed Reid assaulted her twice by digitally penetrating her without content in 2001. Reid allegedly held a grudge against her for rejecting his continued advances.

“Following the second sexual assault in Mr. Reid’s car, Ms. Dixon intensified her efforts to avoid Mr. Reid,” Dixon’s lawyers wrote. “However, Mr. Reid persisted in trying to corner her alone by inviting her to meetings in his hotel room night after night. When Ms. Dixon resisted his efforts, Mr. Reid grew angry and increasingly hostile towards her, as well as to her artists, and her ideas.”

They continued, “This was a drastic reversal from Mr. Reid’s enthusiasm about her creative taste and instincts over the years, and harm came from the fact that Mr. Reid would directly respond to Ms. Dixon’s rejection of his sexual advances by punishing the artists Ms. Dixon had already signed or by blocking the artists she attempted to sign. This included future superstars like Kanye West, John Legend and Toya.”

Dixon accused Reid of sexual battery, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and gender-motivated violence. Both sides appeared for a settlement conference in March. The next settlement conference is scheduled for June 25.

Attorneys representing Dixon did not need extra time to complete discovery in the civil case. Reid’s lawyers required more time.

“With regard to discovery as a whole, Defendant notes that this case presents unusual challenges given that it has been commenced more than two decades after the alleged wrongs,” Reid’s legal team noted. “As a result, additional time has been and will be required to locate witnesses and documents, and Defendant anticipates that some witnesses and documents may ultimately be unavailable due to the passage of time.”

Dixon sued Reid under New York’s Adult Survivors Act. The legislation allowed survivors of sexual assault to sue their abusers despite the statute of limitations for a one-year period, which ended in November 2023.