L.A. Reid will have more time to prepare his defense for his sexual assault trial, as the presiding judge has postponed the start date.
As per Complex, L.A. Reid received favorable news regarding the looming civil charges filed against him by a former entertainment executive. On Monday (Aug. 25), Judge Jeannette A. Vargas ordered that the trial be delayed in order to give the former LaFace Records founder more time to get ready. The magistrate rescheduled begrudgingly, as she has taken a stern stance against further delaying the proceedings. Earlier this summer, L.A. Reid’s former legal team formally withdrew from representing him for “substantial non-payment” and non-cooperation from their client.
During the same hearing, L.A. Reid showed up with new representation Diana Fabi Samson and Michael DiBenedetto of the firm Aidala Bertuna & Kamins. Samson told the judge that they are more than willing to represent Reid but would need about two weeks to prepare. “For Mr. Reid, this is fighting for his life — his financial life, his reputation,” Fabi Samson explained, citing for any lawyer to take this case with such short notice would be malpractice.
But Judge Jeannette A. Vargas was still not swayed, saying, “this is the exact scenario that I warned we are not going to tolerate.” But her mind was ultimately changed when L.A. Reid revealed that he had yet to receive the case file. Vargas noted that the revelation “is very problematic from a due process standpoint.” The judge confirmed the new date as Jan. 12, adding, “We’re going to proceed with the new trial date, whether you have counsel or not.” Originally filed in 2023, Drew Dixon claims that the man born Antonio Marquis Reid sexually assaulted her on two occasions during 2000 and 2002 while both worked for Arista Records. You can read the lawsuit here.
