Hip-hop producer Irv Gotti was sued last week for alleged sexual assault and battery in a state circuit court filing in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
The lawsuit was first reported Tuesday by The Miami New Times and claims the plaintiff, who remains anonymous, first met the music mogul through a mutual friend at a poker tournament in 2020. Gotti, whose real name is Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr., allegedly went on to invite her to Saint Martin.
“After flying her to Saint Martin, Gotti coerced Plaintiff into having sex with him,” the 4-page filing alleges. “Gotti specifically threatened Plaintiff that he would send her home if she did not comply … and due to his power and influences in the music world, she complied.”
The lawsuit claims Gotti “demanded” sexual acts from the plaintiff throughout their alleged two-year relationship, saying he “often berated and scolded” her and, in January 2022, “forced her to perform oral sex on him in an elevator” at the Four Seasons Hotel Miami.
After similar incidents in Atlanta, “the relationship ended,” according to the suit.
“As a result of this sexually abusive relationship, Plaintiff has suffered severe emotional and psychological harm for which she had to be committed to a psychiatric ward,” the lawsuit continued. “These injuries continue to affect Plaintiff to this day.”
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The lawsuit also accuses Gotti of intentional infliction of emotional distress and demands “compensatory damages in an amount to be determined at trial,” as well for Gotti to pay the plaintiff “attorney’s fees and costs” resulting from the legal proceedings.
“She’s suffered a lot,” Adriana Alcalde, attorney for the plaintiff and a former prosecutor in the Special Victims Unit of the Broward County State Attorney’s Office, told Rolling Stone. “With the #MeToo movement, women feel a little more empowered to speak up and tell their truth.”
Gotti, who co-founded Murder Inc. Records in 1998 and has delivered Billboard hits for rappers including Ja-Rule and Jay-Z, denied any wrongdoing Thursday.
“The allegations represent an affront to women who have truly suffered abuse,” his representative told TMZ. “Mr. Gotti has been surrounded by strong women the entirety of his life — his mother, five sisters, and daughter. The top employees at his company are women.”
“Mr. Gotti’s relationship with women have [sic] been characterized by mutual respect, honesty, and empathy,” the statement continued. “Mr. Gotti’s reputation has been placed at issue. He will address this baseless claim in the courts and seek total vindication.”
A trial date for Gotti, who was acquitted of money-laundering charges in 2005, has yet to be set.
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.