Russell Simmons just filed a $20 million lawsuit against HBO and the creators of the 2020 documentary On the Record claiming the film deliberately left out critical evidence and misrepresented facts about serious allegations against him. The suit accuses the network and its partners of defamation and insists they pushed a narrative that ignored voices and proof that could have changed the entire story.
Let’s get to it.
According to court documents Simmons argues the filmmakers overlooked testimony from more than twenty individuals who either denied or directly contradicted the misconduct allegations presented in the documentary. He says the film painted a one sided and harmful portrait that continues to damage his reputation globally as it remains available for streaming.
Simmons’ attorneys Imran H. Ansari and Carla DiMare told TMZ, “Russell Simmons has filed a claim of defamation in court regarding the film ‘On the Record.’
Despite voluminous support for Mr. Simmons in the form of credible information, persuasive evidence, witness statements, and calls for further investigation by notable members of the media, politics, and the civil rights movement, the defendants simply disregarded it, and released, and continue to re-release globally, a film that tremendously disparaged and damaged Mr. Simmons with its salacious and defamatory accusations, that he vehemently denies.”
The lawsuit further claims that WarnerMedia executives including CEO John Stankey were made aware of the evidence and that unnamed political and civil rights leaders had urged the company to reconsider distributing the film. While the identities of those leaders remain undisclosed in the court papers, Simmons does name Oprah Winfrey who was originally tied to the project as an executive producer before stepping away. According to Simmons she walked back her involvement due to concerns over the credibility of the accusations.
Another key detail included in Simmons’ filing is the claim that he passed nine separate lie detector tests administered by professionals. He believes this information was ignored by the filmmakers and would have helped support his denial of all allegations.