Kimora Lee Simmons Accuses Ex-Husband Russell Simmons Of 'Extortive Harassment' After He Files Million-Dollar Lawsuit Against Her
Kimora Lee Simmons is accusing her ex-husband Russell Simmons of harassing her and claims he is suing her to try to seize assets that aren't his.
The fashion designer released a statement trashing her ex after he filed a bombshell lawsuit. Russell believes Kimora and her current husband Tim Leissner stole stocks from him.
He claims the couple sold off his shares in the energy drink company Celsius. Russell says his ex decided to sell off the shares to help pay for Tim's legal fees.
He pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy to commit money laundering for his role in the scandal involving the Malaysian wealth fund 1MDB.
Per this plea deal, Tim agreed to pay back $44 million to avoid jail time.
In the lawsuit, Russell claims Kimora and her husband somehow unlawfully transferred funds owned by him to their own account in 2018.
His lawyer wrote, "Knowing full well that Defendant Leissner would need tens of millions of dollars to avoid jail time, stay out on bail and forfeit monies for victim compensation, Defendants engaged in this blatant fraud to achieve that nefarious and unlawful goal."
The disgraced mogul, who was accused of sexually assaulting numerous women, said he did not go to the authorities after learning about the alleged fraud by his ex-wife.
In a letter written by Russell to Kimora obtained by RadarOnline.com, he wrote, "I am shocked and saddened to see how your side has behaved in response to my repeated attempts to get an agreement from you to rightfully and legally reaffirm my 50% of the Celsius shares, which have been locked up with the government after being used for your husband's bail money,"
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Kimora didn't take kindly to the lawsuit and issued a harsh public rebuke.
Her rep said, "Kimora and her children are shocked by the extortive harassment coming from her ex-husband, Russell Simmons, who has decided to sue her for shares and dividends of Celsius stock in which Kimora and Tim Leissner invested millions of dollars."
"This is an ill-advised attempt by Russell to use the legal system to access funds he is in no way entitled to, and which his own legal team confirms Russell did not pay for," the statement continued.
Kimora's rep said, "Russell’s continued aggressive behavior not only blatantly distorts the facts, but is simply a desperate PR ploy ignoring the years of mental and emotional anguish, gas lighting, and ongoing harassment he has inflicted on Kimora."
The fashion designer decided to bring up her ex-husband's own legal troubles.
Her rep ended, "This extortion attempt is especially egregious given that Russell remains contractually in debt to Kimora for millions of dollars in unpaid business loans. Our team is actively working to put a firm end to his harassment, which continues despite Russell having fled the country - he will face his own reckoning in the U.S. court."
Russell and Kimora were married from 1998 till 2009.