A woman is filing a lawsuit against music executive Jimmy Iovine, alleging the Interscope Records co-founder sexually abused her and forcibly touched her, according to court documents. Iovine tells Rolling Stone he’s “shocked and baffled” by the claim.
A Jane Doe plaintiff filed a summons and notice on Wednesday in New York and alleges Iovine, 70, engaged in “multiple instances of sexual abuse and forcible touching of her, including a specific incident of sexual misconduct” that occurred in New York City in August 2007. The legal filing contained little additional information regarding the woman’s specific claims, but a lawsuit is expected by the end of the year. The woman also alleges that she faced sexual harassment and retaliation, and is seeking an unspecified amount of damages. Doe’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, declined to comment further on the case.
When contacted for comment about the legal filing, a spokesperson for Iovine tells Rolling Stone they are “shocked and baffled” by the claim. “This inquiry is the first we’ve heard of this matter,” the spokesperson said. “No one has ever made a claim like this against Jimmy Iovine, nor have we been contacted or made aware of any complaint by anyone, including this unknown plaintiff prior to now.”
Iovine is one of the most successful record executives of all time, starting his career as a producer in the 1970s, working with artists including Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, U2 and Stevie Nicks. He co-founded Interscope Records in 1989, running the label until 2014.
In his tenure as Interscope’s CEO, Iovine helped shape the company into one of the biggest labels, bringing in artists like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Tupac through a partnership with Death Row Records in the early 1990s. Dr. Dre left Death Row in 1996 and founded Aftermath Entertainment under Interscope and continued working with Iovine, and the label would go on to sign artists including Eminem and Kendrick Lamar. Other artists Iovine signed include No Doubt and Gwen Stefani, Lady Gaga and Nine Inch Nails.
Iovine co-founded Beats By Dre with the rapper-producer in 2006 and sold the company to Apple in 2014 for $3 billion; it remains the largest acquisition in Apple’s history. Dre and Iovine founded the Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy at USC in 2013. Last year, Iovine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award given to industry professionals.
The Jane Doe accuser is filing her forthcoming suit against Iovine under New York’s Adults Survivor Act, which opened up a one-year window for victims of sexual offenses to file a civil suit against their abuser. The window closes on Thursday and in the act’s last hours, several lawsuits naming high-profile figures, including Diddy, Russell Brand, Axl Rose and Bill Cosby, have been filed.
