Public relations pioneer Kelly Cutrone claims Russell Simmons tried to rape her at his apartment over two decades ago, making her the 12th woman to accuse the hip hop mogul of sexual assault.
Amid online reports Thursday night, Cutrone confirmed to the Daily News that Simmons grew violent when they got back to his apartment after attending a party together in 1991.
Cutrone, who was 26 at the time, claimed Simmons threw her to the floor and tried to rip her clothes off, according to reports. After kicking Simmons and screaming at him to get off, Cutrone managed to escape his grip. She bolted for the door and got into a cab.
Cutrone, who's the founder of renowned PR firm People's Revolution, said she and Simmons frequented the same parties around the time of the alleged incident.
Cutrone came forward with her allegations just hours after Simmons vowed to fight back against the numerous sexual assault allegations that have been lobbed against him in recent weeks.
"Today, I begin to properly defend myself. I will prove without any doubt that I am innocent of all rape charges," Simmons, 60, said in an Instagram post capped off with a "#NotMe" hashtag.
Triggered by Simmons' defense, Cutrone fired off several tweets containing a "#YesYou" hashtag Thursday night.
Simmons, who's the founder of the iconic Def Jam Records label, stepped down from all of his companies last month after several women accused him of forcing them into having sex with him.
Also Thursday, the NYPD revealed that it has opened an investigation into the disturbing claims against Simmons.
