Russell Simmons didn’t let that PEOPLE headline slide. After Kimora Lee Simmons stated she doesn’t have a relationship along with her children’ fathers, Russell jumped into the feedback with a response that went straight previous co parenting and into cash, management, and previous wounds. He claimed he paid her $50,000 a month for practically 20 years, referred to as himself her “greatest or solely good friend,” and accused her of stealing from him, saying he has been combating for his children’ love and his bread ever since.
That accusation is just not new. It factors again to a authorized battle that has adopted each of them for years and facilities on shares of Celsius Holdings, the power drink firm. In 2021, Russell filed a lawsuit in opposition to Kimora and her then husband Tim Leissner, alleging they conspired to switch hundreds of thousands of Celsius shares with out his consent. In keeping with the criticism, Russell stated the shares belonged to him by means of his funding entity and had been moved whereas he was unaware of the transaction.
The lawsuit laid out a particular allegation. Russell claimed the inventory switch was tied to Tim Leissner’s authorized hassle and that the shares had been used or positioned to assist cowl bond and authorized prices. Leissner, a former Goldman Sachs banker, pleaded responsible within the federal 1MDB scandal, one of many largest monetary corruption circumstances in fashionable historical past. That legal case is the backdrop Russell continues to reference when he talks concerning the inventory.
Kimora denied the accusations. Her authorized workforce characterised Russell’s lawsuit as an try to say property he didn’t legally personal and described the case as harassment. The dispute didn’t cease with the civil lawsuit. It moved right into a separate federal lane tied on to Leissner’s legal case.
Federal prosecutors sought forfeiture of greater than three million shares of Celsius inventory held in a brokerage account in Kimora’s identify, treating the shares as related to Leissner’s monetary crimes. Each Kimora and Russell filed competing petitions claiming an curiosity in that inventory, turning the combat right into a layered authorized standoff involving household, enterprise, and the federal authorities.
Over time, courts have issued a number of rulings addressing who has standing to say the shares and whether or not Russell’s possession claims maintain authorized weight. The proceedings have continued by means of current years, with motions denied and amended petitions filed, conserving the dispute unresolved within the public eye at the same time as headlines shift.
That context is why Russell’s remark hit more durable than a typical clapback. When he says Kimora “stole from me,” he’s pointing to a years lengthy battle that mixes cash, custody stress, and resentment constructed over time. Kimora’s PEOPLE interview targeted on motherhood and bounds. Russell’s response made it clear he feels erased from the narrative and believes the general public story leaves out his aspect.
What began as a clear life-style interview rapidly become a reminder that some movie star divorces by no means actually finish. They only go quiet till one headline brings all the things again to the floor.
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