Interscope Records co-founder and Dr. Dre collaborator Jimmy Iovine has been accused of sexual misconduct and abuse in a new summons.
The case was registered with the State of New York County Supreme Court by attorneys representing an anonymous female client.
The alleged victim claims that she was “sexually abused, forcibly touched, and subjected to sexual harassment and retaliation” in an incident that occurred in August 2007.
Iovine is to be accused of assault and battery on top of violations of the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act and the New York City Human Rights Law.
Iovine’s representative told Rolling Stone that they were “shocked and baffled” by the case. “This inquiry is the first we’ve heard of this matter,” they claimed. “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.”
At this stage, only a summons has been filed; however, the official lawsuit is expected to arrive imminently.
Alongside his hand in establishing Interscope Records, Iovine co-founded Beats Electronics with rapper Dr. Dre. In 2022, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Bruce Springsteen.
Iovine and Dr. Dre were the subjects of Allen Hughes’ popular 2019 documentary The Defiant Ones. The four-part series documented the tight professional and personal relationship between the two entrepreneurs.
After meeting in the late 1980s, the pair formed a strong friendship over shared business acumen. The relationship hit a notable peak in August 2014, when Apple acquired Beats Electronics for a staggering $3 billion.
The Defiant Ones features commentary from some of the pair’s industry peers, including Bono, David Geffen, Eminem, Ice Cube, Gwen Stefani, Jon Landau, Tom Petty, Snoop Dogg and Bruce Springsteen. Watch the trailer below.
