Russell Simmons was hit with nine new allegations of sexual misconduct after The New York Times featured a story with four women's claims on Wednesday (Dec. 13), followed by the Los Angeles Times with five more women coming forward the same day. Simmons denied the allegations, telling USA Today, "I vehemently deny all these allegations. These horrific accusations have shocked me to my core and all of my relations have been consensual."
Earlier this year, The Hollywood Reporter and the Los Angeles Times published two reports of sexual misconduct surrounding Simmons. He later stepped down from his various companies in light of the accusations.
Three of the new accusations include claims of rape from singer Tina Baker, music journalist Toni Sallie, and Sheri Hines from the all-female hip-hop group Mercedes Ladies. In light of these accusations, Simmons says he will "relentlessly fight against any untruthful character assassination that paints me as a man of violence."
Source: usatoday.com
