Russell Simmons Moves To Depose Ex-Wife Kimora Lee In Shares Lawsuit

The legal drama between Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee Simmons continues to intensify with new allegations against each other.

The Def Jam Recordings co-founder recently petitioned the court to force his ex-wife to appear for a deposition and turn over private text messages. He argued that documents are crucial to their ongoing federal case.

Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee have been butting heads in court over shares in the energy drink company Celsius. The record executive claimed his ex-wife used the funds to bail her ex-husband, Tim Leissner, without his consent.

According to court documents, Russell implored the court to make Kimora comply with the following demands — to appear for a deposition in New York this month and to turn over all communications between her and Leissner, plus her financial advisors.

Russell's attorney claimed he was entitled to these conversations as they could help him prove his case. However, "the only text messages Ms. Lee has produced appear to be messages sent or received by Defendant Leissner, not her."

Additionally, the record executive's rep noted, "Ms. Lee has steadfastly refused to agree to attend her deposition in New York." The drama between Russell and Kimora began in 2021 when he sued her and Leissner over the energy drink company's shares, per In Touch.

According to Russell, the energy drink company's stocks were purchased when he was working with Kimora and Leissner at the investment organization Nu Horizons. But their relationship crashed in 2018 amid a criminal case.

Russell claimed Kimora used four million shares from Celsius to pay for Leissner's bond after he was taken to court. The 66-year-old argued that he had a stake in the stocks used, but his ex-wife begged to differ.

Kimora, through her attorney, refuted Russell's recent claims and demands. She noted that she had produced hundreds of documents that proved the "actual ownership of Nu Horizons and the Celsius shares."

The media personality stressed that she not only owns the Celsius shares, but the energy drink company has also acknowledged that ownership in public filings. Therefore, Russell's request for her private chats was "irrelevant and disproportionate."

Kimora slammed Russell's request for her deposition in New York and pushed for a Los Angeles venue. "Three of her five children are school-age minors and live with her in Los Angeles. Mr. Russell knows this," her lawyer argued.

"He is Ms. Lee's ex-husband and, as the Court knows, he has even sued Ms. Lee in Los Angeles," the attorney continued. A judge will hear Kimora and Russell's arguments in October, but their three-year drama might drag on longer. Following the 2021 lawsuit, Kimora's legal rep claimed:

"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."

Last July, The Blast reported that Kimora was thriving amid her legal drama with Russell, and she gave herself a pat on the back. The media personality attended day two of the Essence Festival of Culture in a stunning gold ensemble.

When asked how she was doing, Kimora replied, "I'm okay. I'm always okay. I'm a tough chic. I'm a single mom of five kids; that's why I'm here because so many women are here."

"So much Black girl joy, brown girl joy. All the shades of joy. So it just feels good for me to be in a room like this," she raved, noting it felt "like coming home…. Everybody's been like 'auntie Kimora, auntie's here….'"

The event marked Kimora's first public appearance since she and Russell clashed on their Instagram Stories. Their differences began after their daughter, Ming, celebrated her mother on Father's Day.

Following Ming's tribute, the record executive clapped back with the rant, "Stop telling fathers they should have fought harder to see their children & start asking mothers why he had to fight at all." Kimora did not stay quiet and asked him to leave her kids alone.

The former couple's second daughter, Aoki, backed Kimora by sharing a FaceTime recording of her father yelling and having a heated argument. There were also chats of his allegedly poor behavior, which forced his ward to declare she would never speak to him again.

Russell eventually penned a cryptic apology to his daughters, claiming that God was "testing" them "a little bit." However, his post had stars like Fat Joe advising him to keep his family drama private.