Hip-hop producer Irv Gotti sued for alleged sexual harassment and abuse

Hip-hop producer Irv Gotti was sued last week in a district court in the state of Florida for alleged sexual assault and battery.

The Miami New Times first reported on the lawsuit on Tuesday, alleging that the plaintiff, who wishes to remain anonymous, met the music mogul through a mutual friend at a poker tournament in 2020. Gotti, whose real name is Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr., then allegedly invited her to Saint Martin.

“After flying her to Saint Martin, Gotti forced Plaintiff to have sex with him,” the four-page filing states. “Gotti specifically threatened Plaintiff that he would send her home if she did not cooperate… and because of his power and influence in the music world, she cooperated.”

The lawsuit alleges that Gotti “demanded” sexual acts from the plaintiff throughout the alleged two-year relationship, “frequently verbally abused and cursed at” 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,” the lawsuit states.

“As a result of this sexually abusive relationship, the plaintiff suffered severe emotional and psychological damage, which required her to be placed in a psychiatric hospital,” the lawsuit continues. “These injuries continue to affect the plaintiff to this day.”

The lawsuit also accuses Gotti of intentionally causing emotional distress and seeks “damages in an amount to be determined at trial” as well as payment of the plaintiff’s “attorney fees and costs” incurred in the proceedings.

“She suffered a lot,” Adriana Alcalde, the plaintiff’s attorney and former prosecutor with the Broward County District Attorney’s Office’s Special Victims Unit, told Rolling Stone. “With the #MeToo movement, women feel a little more empowered to speak up and speak their truth.”

Gotti, who co-founded Murder Inc. Records in 1998 and delivered Billboard hits for rappers such as Ja-Rule and Jay-Z, denied any wrongdoing on Thursday.

“The allegations are an insult to women who have truly suffered abuse,” his representative told TMZ. “Mr. Gotti has been surrounded by strong women his entire life – his mother, his five sisters and his daughter. The top employees in his company are women.”

“Mr. Gotti’s relationships with women were characterized by mutual respect, honesty and empathy,” the statement continued. “Mr. Gotti’s reputation is at stake. He will challenge this baseless allegation in court and seek full vindication.”

A trial date for Gotti, who was acquitted of money laundering charges in 2005, is still pending.

Need help? Visit RAINN’s National online hotline for sexual assault cases or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center website.