Hip hop legend Kevin Liles accused of sexual assault in the 2000s: New lawsuit

Ex-Def Jam President Kevin Liles, who's behind the careers of D'Angelo and Young Thug, has been accused of sexually assaulting a then-employee in the 2000s.

Veteran music executive and hip-hop legend Kevin Liles has been hit with a new lawsuit, as a Jane Doe has accused him of sexually assaulting her at Def Jam, the record label owned by Universal Music Group, in the early 2000s.

Former Def Jam President Kevin Liles was hit with a sexual assault lawsuit. (Instagram / @kevinlileskwl)

According to docs reviewed by TMZ and Variety, the lawsuit named Universal Music and Def Jam as defendants alongside Liles, who significantly impacted the careers of artists like D'Angelo and Young Thug. Liles is believed to have been serving as President of Ded Jam and EVP of Island Def Jam (1994-2004) at the time of the alleged assault, while Jane Doe herself was an employee at the label. She claims to have started out as an executive assistant to the general manager around 1999.

Alleged victim maintaining anonymity, accuses Kevin Liles of raping her during employment period

The alleged sexual assault lawsuit stated that Kevin Liles repeatedly subjected the woman to sexual harassment from 2000 to 2002, passing “derogatory and degrading comments based on her gender regarding her body and appearance.” Liles reportedly stooped to a new low eventually as he allegedly pushed his body against her breasts, and grabbed her behind at work.

In 2002, Doe maintained that even though she rejected Liles' sexual advances, he purportedly forced himself on her, ultimately raping her. Her lawsuit further established that UMG and Def Jam “not only knew or should have known” of the veteran music exec's “propensity to commit the aforementioned crimes of violence,” but also empowered his inappropriate engagements with employees.

Liles' alleged victim filed the suit in the New York Supreme Court under the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, which, per an amendment in 2022, allowed survivors to file suit contrary to previously being time-barred from doing so before March 1, 2025.

Not the 1st time Kevin Liles has been named in a sexual assault lawsuit

The 300 Entertainment co-founder was previously also listed as a defendant alongside Atlantic Records in a $25 million lawsuit accusing singer Trey Songz of sexual assault. The woman who pursued legal action in 2023 claimed that the longtime management executive had been negligent of the seemingly never-ending accusations against Songz over the years. The case was ultimately settled in 2024.