Names and faces
■ “Nope” star Keke Palmer alleges in civil court documents that she was physically and emotionally abused by her ex-boyfriend, with whom she shares a son. The filing last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court included a request for a domestic violence restraining order against Darius Jackson, 29. Judge Wendy Wilcox on Thursday issued a temporary order pending a Dec. 5 hearing. Telephone messages seeking comment from Jackson were left on voicemail at a number associated with his address as listed in the court filing. The documents did not list any attorney who might comment on his behalf. Incidents of violence, recent and in the past, were described in a legal declaration under the actor’s real name, Lauren Palmer. She said she dated Jackson from June 2021 until the relationship ended in October because of physical and emotional abuse. Palmer’s civil action seeks sole legal and physical custody of their son. Representatives for Palmer did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment from the star.
■ Antonio “L.A.” Reid, a longtime music executive, has been accused of sexual assault by a former music executive who worked alongside him. The lawsuit, which was filed last week in the Southern District of New York, alleges that Reid assaulted Drew Dixon twice while they were working together at Arista Records in 2001. Dixon, a former vice president of A&R at the label, claims the assaults stifled her career and halted her from working with future stars, such as John Legend and Kanye West. “L.A. Reid is a known predator, who uses his singular professional power to force himself on his victims,” Dixon said in a statement. “In my case, his persistent campaign of sexual harassment and assault forced me to abandon the work I loved when I was at the top of my game.” Dixon’s attorney, Kenya Davis, said in a statement Reid “leveraged his position of authority to sexually harass and assault” Dixon. Reid could not immediately be reached for comment. His record label, Mega, which he co-founded with Usher, as well as Harper Collins, which published his 2017 memoir, did not respond to requests for comment. Dixon’s allegations will fall under the Adult Survivors Act, a New York law enacted in 2022 that gives adult sexual assault survivors up to one year to file a lawsuit regardless of when the abuse happened. Dixon pushed and advocated for the law to pass.