Russell Simmons’ ongoing battle with HBO and multiple sexual misconduct accusers has taken a new turn, as three women now claim the Def Jam co-founder missed a critical January 1 payment deadline in a confidential settlement, and are asking a New York court to enforce roughly $3.4 million they say he still owes. According to AllHipHop and related court filings, the dispute follows Simmons’ recent public demand for “100s of millions” of dollars – including a $100 million apology – from HBO over its documentary covering allegations against him.
According to AllHipHop, attorneys for accusers Sheri Abernathy, Sil Lai Abrams, and Wendy Carolina Franco submitted filings this week in New York Supreme Court alleging Simmons failed to pay the agreed settlement amounts stemming from sexual assault and misconduct claims that were also explored in HBO’s 2020 documentary On the Record.[1] The women say Simmons signed confidential settlement agreements in October 2025, along with “confessions of judgment” that allow them to pursue higher sums if he allegedly defaults.[1] Court documents reportedly state Simmons was required to pay Abernathy and Abrams $1,162,617.77 each and Franco $512,064.88 by January 1, but their lawyer O. Andrew F. Wilson told the court he did not pay “the Settlement Amount, or any portion thereof” by the deadline.[1]
Because of the alleged missed deadline, the three women are now seeking increased “confessed” amounts that factor in interest and enforcement costs: $1,614,290.74 each for Abernathy and Abrams, and $711,000.31 for Franco, for a total of just over $3.4 million.[1] The settlements are tied to a broader wave of accusations first brought to national attention in the HBO Max documentary, which featured several women who accused Simmons of sexual assault and misconduct over multiple decades.[1][5] HBO and parent company Warner Bros. Discovery have said they stand by the filmmakers and will “vigorously” defend the project against Simmons’ defamation claims.[5]
The latest enforcement push lands just days after Simmons escalated his public feud with HBO, taking to Threads to declare, “HBO you owe me 100s of millions of dollars,” and insisting he needs the money for his “charities and family members, specifically my children.”[1][3][5] As reported by WBLS and Digital Music News, the hip-hop mogul is already pursuing a defamation lawsuit seeking at least $20 million over On the Record, alleging HBO and the film’s creators suppressed evidence favorable to him.[5][7] His new $100 million demand, aired on social media, dramatically ups the stakes as his accusers move in the opposite direction—asking the court to lock in millions they say he has not paid.
Simmons has consistently denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex and has not admitted wrongdoing in any of the settlements, framing his legal fight with HBO as a battle over his reputation and legacy in hip-hop and Black culture.[1][4] But as he publicly pressures the network for massive damages, the parallel effort by Abernathy, Abrams, and Franco to enforce more than $3.4 million in alleged unpaid settlements underscores how the fallout from On the Record continues to reverberate in both the courts and the court of public opinion.
