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Judge Dismisses Kevin Liles Assault Suit, Citing 2005 UMG Settlement

The court found a prior regulatory settlement’s broad release barred later claims against the former Def Jam executive.

Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, ending the federal case in New York.
  • The ruling held that a 2005 Universal Music Group agreement, reached after a 2004 state human-rights complaint, released Liles from liability.
  • Court records show the plaintiff received $47,500, and the judge said the deal covered any claims known or reasonably knowable at the time.
  • Jane Doe alleged harassment and a 2002 rape; her lawyers argued the payment was a severance that did not release an assault claim, a view the judge rejected.
  • Liles has denied the accusations; the judge said no amendment could cure the suit’s legal defects, and a Liles spokesman had no comment as the plaintiff’s lawyers did not immediately respond.