Kevin Liles confronted a authorized battle that resurfaced a long time previous accusations in a New York federal courtroom but the case got here to an abrupt finish after a decide dominated {that a} lengthy forgotten settlement blocked the claims from transferring ahead. The civil sexual assault lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice after U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice […]

Kevin Liles confronted a authorized battle that resurfaced a long time previous accusations in a New York federal courtroom but the case got here to an abrupt finish after a decide dominated {that a} lengthy forgotten settlement blocked the claims from transferring ahead.

The civil sexual assault lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice after U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald decided that an settlement signed almost 20 years in the past prevented the nameless plaintiff from returning to court docket with new allegations tied to the identical occasions.

The ruling successfully ends the case and confirms how far the attain of a broad settlement can lengthen on the earth of leisure and company employment.

Court paperwork present the plaintiff, recognized solely as Jane Doe, accused Liles of harassment, undesirable bodily contact and even rape linked to his time as president of Def Jam Recordings in 2002. Liles repeatedly denied the accusations.

Judge Buchwald discovered that the lawsuit couldn’t survive as a result of Doe beforehand settled associated points with Universal music Group in 2005.

Records reveal UMG paid Doe $47,500 to resolve a grievance she filed with New York state regulators that accused the corporate of retaliation and verbal harassment. The submitting didn’t embrace rape allegations but the settlement sure Doe to chorus from bringing any additional authorized motion tied to the identical interval of conduct.

Judge Buchwald wrote that the contract “expressly and unambiguously covered” Liles despite the fact that he was not at Def Jam by the point the settlement was finalized. She additionally pointed to language within the deal that discharged “any and all” claims that had been recognized or ought to have been recognized on the time.

The decide rejected makes an attempt to revive the claims and said that no modification may repair the case’s authorized defects. She emphasised that the settlement’s broad launch left no room for Doe to reopen the matter no matter her try to differentiate the brand new allegations from these raised earlier than state regulators. The choice illustrates the substantial weight courts place on finality particularly when employment associated disputes have already been addressed by means of regulatory and contractual channels.

Doe’s lawsuit positioned renewed consideration on a interval when Liles was one of the vital influential executives in Hip-Hop. He served as president of Def Jam from 1999 to 2004 serving to information the label by means of one of the vital commercially dominant eras in its historical past. After leaving the corporate he ultimately co based 300 Entertainment in 2012. Warner music Group acquired the imprint in 2021 and Liles departed as CEO the next yr.

With the lawsuit dismissed with prejudice the courtroom chapter closes with out additional proceedings. The ruling solidifies the enforceability of settlement releases and alerts how tough it may be for plaintiffs to revisit a long time previous disputes notably when these disagreements had been formally resolved by means of state supervised agreements lengthy earlier than.

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