Kevin Liles, the veteran music executive who has played a key role in D’Angelo and Young Thug’s careers, has been sued by a Jane Doe claiming that he sexually assaulted her during her employment at Def Jam in the early 2000s.

In the suit, obtained from New York Supreme Court and reviewed by Variety, Doe named Universal Music Group, Def Jam and Liles as defendants. She filed under the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, which was granted an amendment in 2022 to allow survivors whose claims were previously time-barred to file suit before March 1, 2025.

Liles responded to the suit in a statement to Variety, refuting all allegations. “I absolutely deny the outrageous claims reported in the press this evening,” he said. “I wish I could share a more detailed response to this slander, but this is the first I’ve heard of this claim and the anonymous accuser’s attorney shared the lawsuit with gossip influencers and media outlets before it was even posted by the court, so my attorneys and I have not seen the actual lawsuit. After nearly 40 years of service to our culture, I’ve intentionally built a reputation for doing things the right way, treating people the right way, and empowering women. It is a shameful reality that these lies spread so freely. My attorneys and I will fully clear my name, and when we are successful, this anonymous accuser and her attorney will face a defamation lawsuit and every other available legal consequence. These allegations will not derail my mission to be of service to our community, and focus on the greater good and greater God.”