Redacted Text About Kanye West at the Center of New Filing in Upcoming Sexual Assault Trial Against L.A. Reid

By: The 100 Percenters

Published: August 21, 2025

Photo Credit: Evan Agostini / Invision / Associated Press & FilmMagic/FilmMagic

In a letter to The Honorable Jeannette A. Vargas filed on August 5, Drew Dixon’s lawyers accused music executive Antonio “L.A.” Reid of destroying evidence in her civil lawsuit against him. According to the filing, Reid admitted to deleting text messages from his phone, including communications relevant to the case, and continued doing so as recently as December 14, 2024, months after being instructed to preserve them.

Among the missing records is a redacted text exchange with music executive G. Roberson, who managed Kanye West at the time Dixon says she was trying to sign West to Arista Records. Dixon’s legal team highlighted the exchange during a deposition with Reid, writing in their filing: “When we asked Defendant(Reid), quote, ‘why would Mr. Roberson know if [he] passed on Kanye?’ He answered, [redacted].”

The sealed portions remain redacted, but the message has become a focal point in the case. Dixon claims Reid retaliated against her by blocking signings of Kanye West and John Legend after she rejected his alleged advances, depriving her of career-defining opportunities.

A forensic review by the firm Kroll uncovered more than 18,000 text messages matching Dixon’s search terms. It remains unclear how many of the deleted communications are permanently lost.

The Roberson text dispute comes as the case moves toward trial. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas denied Reid’s bid to dismiss Dixon’s “lost commissions” claim tied to West and Legend. While Reid argued the statute of limitations barred the claim, Vargas ruled that a jury should decide whether Dixon can recover damages for income she says she would have earned from the artists’ later success.

Reid is also now facing the courtroom without legal representation. Earlier this week, RollingStone reported that at a recent status conference, Judge Vargas confirmed Reid is now representing himself “pro se” after his attorneys from Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir LLP were granted unconditional withdrawal. They told the court that Reid has not paid them since February and has been unable to sell his Bel Air mansion despite lowering the price by several million dollars. Judge Vargas warned Reid that failing to appear at the August 25 pre-trial conference could result in default judgment and reaffirmed that the September 8 trial date remains “firm.”

Reid, who has denied Dixon’s allegations, resigned as chairman and CEO of Epic Records in 2017 after a separate harassment complaint from an assistant. He has since remained active in the music industry, co-founding the label Mega with Usher, partnering with Larry Jackson’s Gamma, and executive producing Mariah Carey’s forthcoming album.

Jury selection in Dixon v. Reid begins September 8. The trial is expected to last several weeks, with testimony that could bring the Roberson text and its unanswered questions into open court.