Fashion mogul Kimora Lee has legally changed her name to “Kimora Lee,” a change from her famous ex-husband’s last name.
The Baby Phat founder has made an official shift, which sources say is part of a “personal reset” of her business empire.
The timing is directly related to her escalating legal battle with Russell Simmons over millions of shares of Celsius Energy Drink stock.
Russell filed a lawsuit alleging that Kimora conspired with her estranged husband, Tim Leissner, to fraudulently transfer nearly 4 million Celsius shares to pay Leissner’s legal fees.
Russell was an early investor in Celsius along with late basketball legend Kobe Bryant, and his investment generated handsome returns before the alleged theft.
The hip-hop pioneer claimed that even after their divorce, he still trusted Kimora with business dealings and maintained what he called a close family relationship.
Disgraced former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner has been sentenced to two years in prison for his central role in the massive 1MDB Malaysian government funds scandal.
Federal prosecutors have proven that Leissner helped steal billions of dollars from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund and are asking him to forfeit nearly $44 million to avoid a longer prison sentence.
The couple now face eviction from their $25 million mansion, which Leissner admitted under oath was purchased entirely with stolen Malaysian funds.
After Leissner bought the property, he immediately sold it to a real estate investment group and continues to live there for $60,000 a month.
Kimora claims Leissner tricked her into signing property sales documents, even though court records show her signature authorized the transaction.
She also insisted she was paying the mortgage, but legal documents proved she was actually paying rent after the resale.
The rebranding represents Kimora’s attempt to distance herself from the criminal convictions of Russell Simmons and Tim Lesnar, who were accused of sexually assaulting dozens of women.
Leissner recently submitted a pardon request to former President Trump before starting his sentence in February 2026.
