Def Jam founder and Rush Communications CEO

Def Jam founder and Rush Communications CEO Russell Simmons says he is stepping down from his businesses following screenwriter Jenny Lumet's accusation of sexual assault. "I have been informed with great anguish of Jenny Lumet's recollection about our night together in 1991. I know Jenny and her family and have seen her several times over the years since the evening she described. While her memory of that evening is very different from mine, it is now clear to me that her feelings of fear and intimidation are real. While I have never been violent, I have been thoughtless and insensitive in some of my relationships over many decades and I sincerely and humbly apologize," the 60-year-old says in a statement. "This is a time of great transition. The voices of the voiceless, those who have been hurt or shamed, deserve and need to be heard. As the corridors of power inevitably make way for a new generation, I don't want to be a distraction so I am removing myself from the businesses that I founded. The companies will now be run by a new and diverse generation of extraordinary executives who are moving the culture and consciousness forward. I will convert the studio for yogic science into a not-for-profit center of learning and healing. As for me, I will step aside and commit myself to continuing my personal growth, spiritual learning and above all to listening." 

Lumet claims the sexual assault occurred one night in 1991 after she accepted Simmon's offer to give her a ride home. Instead of taking Lumet to her home, Simmons allegedly told his driver to take them to his apartment. Lumet says the driver ignored her requests to be taken home. "I felt an intense need to keep both of you calm," she writes in a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter. "Was there a time or a space to run? I have no idea. Would somebody else have run? I have no idea. There were two men. One of whom obeyed the other. It was an overwhelming feeling."

"You didn't punch me, drag me or verbally threaten me. You used your size to maneuver me, quickly, into the elevator," she says.

"You moved me into a bedroom. I said, "Wait." You said nothing," continues Lumet. "I made the trade in my mind. I thought, 'Just keep calm, and you'll get home.' Maybe another person would have thought differently, or not made the trade."

Follow the link below to read Lumet's full account.