UPDATE: L.A. Reid Settles Sexual Assault Lawsuit as Trial Looms
Eleventh-Hour Resolution: L.A. Reid Settles Sexual Assault Lawsuit as Trial Looms
An update on our earlier report. In a dramatic conclusion to one of the music industry’s most anticipated legal battles, Antonio "L.A." Reid has reached a private settlement with his accuser, former Arista Records executive Drew Dixon. The deal was finalized on Monday 12th January, the very morning jury selection and opening statements were scheduled to begin in a Manhattan federal court.
The settlement effectively muzzles a trial that promised to be a public post-mortem of the "toxic" power dynamics within the 90s and 2000s music industry.
The Midnight Deal
Reporters and members of the public who arrived at the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse yesterday morning found the courtroom doors locked. After several hours of quiet negotiations behind the scenes, Dixon emerged on the courthouse steps alongside her legal team and her mother, former Washington D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt, to confirm the resolution.
“We are happy to report that a settlement has been reached, the terms of which are confidential,” Dixon’s attorney, Kenya Davis, told the gathered press. Davis emphasized that the resolution would allow Dixon to move forward with her "reputation, her voice, and her career reaffirmed."
No Admission of Guilt
Despite the settlement, Reid has not conceded to the allegations. In a statement released shortly after the hearing, Reid's attorney, Imran H. Ansari, was careful to frame the resolution as a strategic exit rather than an admission.
“Mr. Reid has amicably resolved this matter with Ms. Dixon without any admission of liability,” Ansari stated.
The lawsuit, filed under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, alleged that Reid sexually assaulted Dixon twice in 2001 and subsequently derailed her career—including blocking her from signing future stars like John Legend—after she rejected his advances.
A Ray of Light for Survivors
For Dixon, who has been a vocal advocate for survivors since the release of the 2020 documentary On the Record, the settlement is being framed as a victory for accountability.
“I hope my work as an advocate for the Adult Survivors Act helps to bring all of us closer to a music business that is safer for everyone,” an emotional Dixon told reporters. “In a world where good news is often hard to find, I hope survivors today see a ray of light peeking through the clouds.”
The Witness List That Never Was
The settlement averts what would have been a high-profile parade of witnesses. John Legend was among those expected to testify regarding the alleged "blackballing" of Dixon’s signings. With the case now closed, the industry is spared from the potentially "damning" testimony that insiders predicted would have emerged during discovery and cross-examination.
While the "Devil Delaney" might be returning to television (see our report on Taboo), one of the music industry’s most controversial figures has successfully kept his own drama away from a public jury.
