Russell Simmons has been accused of sexual assault by model and actress Keri Claussen Khalighi.
Khalighi, who was a 17-year-old model at the time, alleges that Simmons “coerced her to perform oral sex” after trying to force her to have sex with him in 1991. According to the Los Angeles Times, the actress met Simmons and director Brett Ratner at a casting call and was later invited to dinner before the group went to Simmons’ apartment.
Khalighi states that when Simmons began making aggressive sexual advances, she looked to Ratner for help before realizing “they were in it together.”
Ratner is currently facing numerous claims of sexual misconduct, including accusations from X-Men actress Olivia Munn.
Simmons and Ratner also face accusations from former model Tanya Reid, who claims that in 1994, when she was 18, Ratner held her down while she performed oral sex on Simmons.
The mogul has denied Khalighi’s claim, stating, “Everything that occurred between Keri and me occurred with her full consent and participation.”
Actor Terry Crews, who recently revealed that WME exec Adam Venit sexually assaulted him, also came forward to add that Simmons advised him to “give the agent a pass.”
“NO ONE GETS A PASS,” Crews wrote on Twitter.
These allegations follow a recently resurfaced police report from 2001 that accuse both Ratner and Simmons of sexual battery.
