Russell Simmons Demands Ex-Wife Kimora Lee Turn Over Private Texts, Be Deposed in Court War

Russell Simmons demanded his ex-wife, Kimora Lee Simmons, turn over private text messages and appear for a deposition this month as part of their nasty federal court battle, In Touch can exclusively report.

According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Russell, 66, asked the court to force Kimora, 49, to comply with his requests.

Russell said he has reached an “impasse regarding specific” categories of documents that he asked Kimora to produce.

He said the documents Kimora refused to turn over could be crucial to him proving his case in court. Specifically, he asked for communications between Kimora and her ex-husband, Tim Leissner, regarding financial transactions at the center of the dispute and communications between Kimora and her financial advisors. Russell said Kimora also has not agreed to turn over texts.

His lawyer said, “The only text messages Ms. Lee has produced appear to be messages sent or received by Defendant Leissner, not her. Mr. Simmons is entitled to text messages that contain responsive content, excluding those between her and Defendant Leissner (unless third parties are also party to those messages).”

In addition, Russell said, “Ms. Lee has steadfastly refused to agree to attend her deposition in New York.

In 2021, Russell sued Kimora and her then-husband Tim. He claimed Kimora used four million shares of an energy drink company Celsius to pay for Tim’s bond in a 2018 criminal case. Russell claimed he had a stake in the shares.

Russell and Kimora were married from 1998 until 2009. Kimora wed Tim in 2014 but split years after Tim was taken to court.

As part of a plea deal, Tim plead guilty and agreed to pay back $43 million to the government.

Russell claimed the stocks were purchased when he was working with Kimora and Tim at an investment company they worked at together, Nu Horizons.

Kimora disputed that Russell had a stake in the shares used.

In response to Russell’s recent demands for documents, Kimora said she already produced hundreds of documents that show the “actual ownership of Nu Horizons and the Celsius shares.”

She said the documents show she currently owns the Celsius shares, and Celsius has acknowledged that ownership in public filings. Kimora objected to his request for communications with her financial advisors and text messages.

Her lawyer said, “Not only has Mr. Simmons failed to produce any of his own text messages in the last seven months, which his counsel acknowledged during the parties’ August 30 meet and confer, but Ms. Lee has already reviewed and produced relevant and responsive text messages. Mr. Simmons’s request for more is irrelevant and disproportionate.”

Regarding her deposition, Kimora said that she lives in Los Angeles, not New York where Russell plans to depose her. “Three of her five children are school-age minors and live with her in Los Angeles. Mr. Simmons knows this — he is Ms. Lee’s ex-husband and, as the Court knows, he has even sued Ms. Lee in Los Angeles,” her lawyer said.

She demanded the deposition take place in Los Angeles. A judge set a hearing for October.

After the lawsuit was filed, Kimora’s lawyer told Daily Mail, “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.”

The lawyer added, “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.”