Former Def Jam president Kevin Liles claims he’s being extorted for $30 million
Lady Luck has sued former Def Jam president Kevin Liles for $30 million. Liles denied sexual assault claims from the New Jersey rapper (real name Shanell Jones), who signed with the label when she was a teenager.
Liles claims he received a letter from Luck, threatening to publish a book and file a lawsuit if he didn’t pay her the seven-figure amount she requested. He said she threatened to accuse him of grooming her and exposing himself while pushing her head towards his genitalia in an attempt to perform oral sex in his car.
In his statement, Liles wrote, “None of this ever happened. Her threatened allegations are totally false. And they are contradicted by Ms Jones’s many public statements about me and her experience at Def Jam.”
He added, “They are also at odds with her continued outreach and relationship with both my family and me for the past 26 years. Her story is a fabrication. Rather than pay her and her legal team, I am publicly addressing what I view to be an extortion attempt.”
Liles went on to allege that her allegations only came about following news of another lawsuit against him, which also alleged sexual assault. “It seems Ms Jones hopes to leverage the current news environment to pressure me into writing an exorbitant check in order to avoid the negative publicity that will likely result from her false claims,” he said.
“I intend to vigorously fight any complaint she may file and will take whatever legal action is necessary against her and the attorneys who have participated in this attempted shakedown.”
Liles also detailed their alleged history at Def Jam, starting from when he signed her in 1999 after hearing her rap on Hot 97.