Kimora Lee Simmons calls ex-husband Russell Simmons’ lawsuit an ‘extortion attempt’ after he accuses the designer of ‘stealing stocks to pay her husband Tim Leissner’s $44M bail’
- Russell, 63, has accused the couple of making a ‘fraudulent transfer’ of his 50% shares in the energy drink company Celsius to pay Leissner’s legal/bail fees totaling $44M
- Leissner, 49, avoided jail time by pleading guilty to criminal conspiracy to commit money laundering for stealing billions from Malaysian wealth fund 1MDB
- Simmons wrote in a letter to Lee that he wants her to ‘reaffirm’ his nearly 4 million shares
- Kimora labeled Russell’s suit an ‘extortion attempt’ and a ‘desperate PR ploy’ in a statement to DailyMail.com
- ‘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,’ reads one line
- Reps for the Baby Phat designer, 46, insist that the music mogul’s claims are ‘baseless’ and will be ‘confronted’
Kimora Lee Simmons has slammed ex Russell Simmons’ lawsuit against her and husband Tim Leissner, calling it an ‘extortion attempt’ and a ‘desperate PR ploy’ by the music mogul.
‘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,’ said reps for the Baby Phat designer, 46, to DailyMail.com.
Russell, 63, accused the couple of making a ‘fraudulent transfer’ of his 50% shares in the energy drink company Celsius to pay Leissner’s legal/bail fees totaling $44M.
New legal war: Ousted Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons (L) is suing his ex-wife Kimora Lee (M) and her second husband Tim Leissner (R) to return nearly 4M shares of stocks they allegedly stole from him in 2018
Leissner, 49, avoided jail time by pleading guilty to criminal conspiracy to commit money laundering for stealing billions from Malaysian wealth fund 1MDB.
Kimora’s statement continued: ‘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.
‘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, gaslighting, and ongoing harassment he has inflicted on Kimora.
‘Russell will be held accountable for his serial abuse and we will confront his baseless claims that he is warranted Celsius stock dividends despite his self-admitted zero contribution,’ representatives for Kimora stressed.
‘This extortion attempt is especially egregious given that Russell remains contractually in debt to Kimora for millions of dollars in unpaid business loans.
The disgraced 63-year-old accused the couple of making a ‘fraudulent transfer’ of his 50% shares in the energy drink company Celsius to pay Leissner’s legal/bail fees totaling $44M
Bad influence? The disgraced 49-year-old (L, pictured in 2019) avoided jail time by pleading guilty to criminal conspiracy to commit money laundering for stealing billions from Malaysian wealth fund 1MDB
‘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 US court,’ the statement concluded.
According to People, Russell 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.’
Simmons didn’t discover the ‘blatant fraud to achieve that nefarious and unlawful goal’ until July 2019.
The Eat to Live author – who ended his seven-year marriage to Kimora in 2008 – is now demanding the return of the shares, payment, punitive damages, and attorney legal fees.
Russell 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’
Almost got away with it? Simmons didn’t discover the ‘blatant fraud to achieve that nefarious and unlawful goal’ until July 2019 (couple pictured in 2018)
Russell and the 46-year-old Baby Phat CEO were previously believed to be amicable exes, who dote on 21-year-old daughter Ming and 18-year-old daughter Aoki.
Simmons currently runs a meditation/yoga app called GDAS and lives in exile in Bali (due to extradition laws) after being accused of over 20 women of sexual assault and misconduct.
The vegan yogi’s #MeToo scandal was detailed in Kirby Dick + Amy Ziering’s critically-acclaimed documentary On the Record, which premiered a year ago on HBO Max.
‘Visual representation of my parents’ relationship’: The Eat to Live author – who ended his seven-year marriage to Kimora in 2008 – is now demanding the return of the shares, payment, punitive damages, and attorney legal fees (pictured in 2019)
2019 family portrait: Russell and the 46-year-old Baby Phat CEO were previously believed to be amicable exes, who dote on 21-year-old daughter Ming and 18-year-old daughter Aoki
Due to extradition laws: Simmons (pictured Sunday) currently runs a meditation/yoga app called GDAS and lives in exile in Bali after being accused of over 20 women of sexual assault and misconduct
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