L.A. Reid sex assault trial to begin next week, John Legend expected as witness

Music mogul L.A. Reid will go on trial next week, accused of sexually assaulting top record executive Drew Dixon when they worked at Arista in 2001. We’re told John Legend will appear as a witness.

Dixon — who has been one of the most relentless campaigners for justice for the victims of powerful men in the music business — claims that Reid assaulted her twice while she was vice president of A&R at the storied label, where he was the president.

She claims that after she rejected his advances, he throttled her career and that it never fully recovered. She had worked with stars including Whitney Houston and Santana, and claims that the “American Idol” judge blocked the signing of Legend as part of his retaliation against her. (Reid has denied the claims).

Dixon has also accused Def Jam’s Russell Simmons of rape, and sued him for defamation when he suggested in an interview that Dixon and other accusers were lying. (Simmons has strenuously denied the allegations).

Dixon was a leading advocate for the Adult Survivors Act, the special statute under which she and other alleged victims, including Diddy’s accusers, have sought convictions for crimes that would otherwise have been long past the statute of limitations.