Kevin Liles, the Baltimore-born music mogul and co-founder of 300 Entertainment, has been sued by a woman claiming he sexually assaulted her while she worked at Def Jam in the early 2000s.

In the suit, filed in New York Supreme Court this week, a woman identified only as Jane Doe alleged that Liles — while he was president of Def Jam — raped and assaulted her while she was an executive assistant at the record label. Def Jam and parent company Universal Music Group are corporate defendants in this case and are accused of negligence.

The complaint, which was earlier reported by Variety, was filed under New York’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, which gives domestic violence and sexual assault survivors, among others, until March 1 to sue their abusers in cases that were originally time-barred.

According to the complaint, Liles began sexually harassing Doe soon after she joined Def Jam in 1999 by “making derogatory and degrading comments based on her gender regarding her body and appearance.”

From 2000 to 2002 the sexual harassment escalated, according to the complaint, and in 2002 Liles made sexually inappropriate comments and advances towards Doe, physically forced himself on top of her and sexually assaulted and raped her.

In a statement, Liles denied the claims, calling them outrageous.

“After nearly 40 years of service to our culture, I’ve intentionally built a reputation for doing things the right way, treating people the right way, and empowering women,” Liles said in the statement. “It is a shameful reality that these lies spread so freely. My attorneys and I will fully clear my name.”

Liles is a native Baltimorean who attended Woodlawn High School and Morgan State University before embarking on his career in entertainment. The nonprofit Kevin Liles for a Better Baltimore Foundation has done back-to-school giveaways in the area.

While at Def Jam, he worked with artists such as Jay-Z and DMX. He co-founded the record label 300 Entertainment, which broke artists like Megan Thee Stallion and Young Thug. Liles was most recently the CEO of Warner Music Group’s 300 Elektra Entertainment and spearheaded the Preakness Live Festival in 2022.

Doe also accused Def Jam and Universal Music Group of failing to investigate complaints about Liles' behavior and enabling and permitting his behavior for the “pecuniary and reputational benefits” he provided the businesses, according to the complaint.

Universal Music Group did not respond to requests for comment.

In a statement Friday, attorneys Mallory Allen and Lucas B. Franken, who are representing Doe, said it took bravery for their client to come forward against a well-known figure. “We commend our client for her determination to seek justice for the sexual abuse she endured,” they said in the statement.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the name of Elektra Entertainment.