What does it mean to be stateless in America? Judge dismisses s*xual assault lawsuit against Russell Simmons due to his move to Indonesia

Judge John G. Koeltl dismissed a civil lawsuit against the s*xual assault charges against Russell Simmons following the record executive's move to Indonesia. The judge ruled that Simmons is a "stateless" American citizen, meaning the court couldn't have jurisdiction over Simmons.

A Jane Doe filed the civil lawsuit in 2024 under the New York Adult Survivors Act. She claimed that Russell Simmons s*xually assaulted her while she worked at his record label Def Jam in the 1990s. In the suit, Jane Doe served Simmons a notice of the lawsuit at his private resort in Bali.

According to the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, a stateless person is someone who isn't protected as a national or citizen of any country. They can either be born into statelessness or become stateless and are not recognized as citizens by any country.

The outcome of Russell Simmons being termed "stateless" came into play after his legal team argued that the record executive has been living in Indonesia since 2018. This led to the judge ruling that the plaintiff in this case had failed to prove Simmons was domiciled in New York at the time of the complaint, resulting in the case residing on a jurisdictional technicality.

Russell Simmons doesn't claim residency in any US state and has held a permanent retirement visa for Indonesia since 2021. Indonesia doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of the court where Jane Doe filed her lawsuit.

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"Our plaintiff is not deterred by this gamesmanship": Jane Doe's attorney comments on recent judgment in Russell Simmons' favor

According to a report by Billboard dated February 13, 2025, one of Russell Simmons' attorneys stated that the publication praised the judge's decision in the record executive's favor. David Fish from the law firm Romano Law said that the justice system is based on "rules and procedures." He added that Simmons' team was pleased that "the court followed the rules of civil procedure and case law related to who can be brought into court.”

Jane Doe's attorney Kenya Davis, a lawyer at the Boies Schiller Flexner firm told Billboard about the possibility of the s*xual assault lawsuit being re-filed in the state court. They noted that the issue of jurisdiction potentially won't persist. Davis said that Russell Simmons was trying to "dodge accountability for his reprehensible behavior and escape litigation on procedural grounds.”

Jane Doe's attorney said that since the beginning of the case, "Simmons has claimed to be a stateless citizen domiciled in Bali." The attorney noted that this was despite the record executive "building his life and career in New York," stating that he took advantage of "his clear ties to the state when it benefits him."

"Our plaintiff is not deterred by this gamesmanship. We respect the judge’s decision, and we will see Mr. Simmons in New York state court,” Davis added.

The plaintiff's attorneys argued that the record executive's social media posts, occasional visits to New York, and business ties connected him to the state. However, the court rejected the same stating that occasional trips and social media posts don't determine legal domicile.

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As per Billboard's report, in addition to the s*xual assault lawsuit, the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings faces litigations from 3 more accusers. Toni Sallie, Tina Klein-Baker, and Alexia Norton Jones alleged in court filings in New York that Simmons revoked confidential settlements that required him to pay the plaintiffs a total of approximately $8 million.