Kevin Liles is the latest music industry executive to face harrowing sexual assault allegations in a lawsuit. An anonymous woman claimed in a new filing this week that he sexually assaulted her in 2002 when she was an executive assistant at Def Jam Recordings. Liles served as the label's president and the Executive Vice President of Island Def at the time. On Thursday evening (February 27), he and his legal team issued a statement to XXL alleging his innocence and denying any and all claims put forth by this anonymous plaintiff.
"I absolutely deny the outrageous claims reported in the press this evening," Kevin Liles stated. "I wish I could share a more detailed response to this slander, but this is the first I've heard of this claim and the anonymous accuser's attorney shared the lawsuit with gossip influencers and media outlets before it was even posted by the court, so my attorneys and I have not seen the actual lawsuit.
Kevin Liles Lawsuit
"After nearly 40 years of service to our culture, I've intentionally built a reputation for doing things the right way, treating people the right way, and empowering women," Kevin Liles continued. "It is a shameful reality that these lies spread so freely. My attorneys and I will fully clear my name, and when we are successful, this anonymous accuser and her attorney will face a defamation lawsuit and every other available legal consequence. These allegations will not derail my mission to be of service to our community, and focus on the greater good and greater God."
The lawsuit against Kevin Liles includes further claims of sexual assault, sexual harassment, derogatory verbal comments, and more. Jane Doe filed this under the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, amended in 2022 to allow previously time-restricted allegations to come through as court filings until March 1 of this year. Variety's initial report highlights the woman's claims that Liles' sexual harassment began in 1999 through "derogatory and degrading comments based on her gender regarding her body and appearance," and physical violations of privacy such as inappropriate fondling. This first-time sexual assault lawsuit against him also names Def Jam and parent company Universal Music Group as codefendants.
