The Hip-Hip community is taking a hit after music executive Kevin Liles is now facing serious allegations. According to a lawsuit filed on Thursday (Feb. 27), the former Def Jam president is being sued for alleged sexual assault during his time as president.
The New York suit was filed by an unidentified Jane Doe, who allegedly worked under Liles in 2002, when she says the assault happened. The former employee’s suit is protected under the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, which allows survivors whose claims were previously time-barred to file before March 1, 2025.
According to the filing obtained by HotNewHipHop, Jane Doe joined Def Jam in 1999. From there, she alleged Liles continuously made “derogatory and degrading comments based on her gender regarding her body and appearance” before the verbal harassment allegedly turned into physical harassment. Doe said Liles reportedly pressed his body up against hers on multiple occasions and even grabbed her inappropriately.
The alleged misconduct against the female employee escalated again in 2002 when Does claims Liles raped her after she denied his advances, according to the filing.
The lawsuit also names Def Jam and UMG as defendants, alleging the music companies knew of Liles’ “propensity to commit the aforementioned crimes of violence.” She claims despite being aware of the issues, both Def Jam and UMG allowed the alleged misconduct to continue, saying they “enabled” him.
Jane Doe’s lawyer, Lucas B. Franken, said he wants his client’s lawsuit to open the doors for other potential victims to come forward. “Based on the violent and egregious conduct,” he told Variety. “We hope that [others] can also come forward to share their experiences and pursue justice.”
Kevin Liles is credited as a key role in the rise of Atlanta rapper Young Thug and legendary singer D’Angelo’s careers. In 2023, he was named as a defendant in a $25 million sexual assault lawsuit filed against singer Trey Songz, who he manages, according to Rolling Stone. The lawsuit claimed Liles ignored growing accusations against Songz, and it was settled later in 2014..
In response to new sexual assault allegations, Liles told TMZ, “I absolutely deny the outrageous claims reported in the press this evening. I wish I could share a more detailed response to this slander, but this is the first I’ve heard of this claim and the anonymous accuser’s attorney shared the lawsuit with gossip influencers and media outlets before it was even posted by the court, so my attorneys and I have not seen the actual lawsuit.”