Russell Simmons Sues HBO Max for $20M Over ‘On the Record’ Documentary

Russell Simmons claims HBO Max ignored mountains of evidence refuting the sexual assault claims against him when it produced a documentary about the cases … and now he’s suing the streamer for $20 million.

According to docs filed in New York, Simmons says the 2020 documentary “On the Record,” “disregarded or suppressed” more than 20 witnesses who refuted the allegations multiple women made against the music mogul.

Simmons says that information was readily available to several bigwigs at WarnerMedia, the parent company of HBO Max, including CEO John Stankey. He claims civil rights leaders and members of Congress urged HBO to review the evidence supporting Simmons’ denials … although he doesn’t name any of them.

One name he does drop in the docs is Oprah Winfrey … claiming she was initially an executive producer of “On the Record,” but she withdrew from the project after “publicly noting inconsistencies in the accusations.”

The Def Jam founder also claims HBO and the doc’s producers “disregarded nine consecutive credible and favorable CIA-grade polygraph” results, which presumably would have supported his side of the story.

Simmons moved out of the U.S. back in 2018, following the allegations, and sold his last U.S. property in 2021. He’s taken up residence in Bali, Indonesia, where he owns a luxury yoga retreat.