CONTENT WARNING: The following article discusses sexual battery and physical and emotional abuse
FKA Twigs (real name Tahliah Debrett Barnett) is suing Shia LaBeouf for an allegedly emotionally and physically abusive relationship.
The artist has filed a lawsuit against LaBeouf in Los Angeles, as reported by The New York Times.
The lawsuit sees FKA Twigs describe LaBeouf’s treatment as “relentless abuse” and cites sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress.
It sees Shia LaBeouf accused of knowingly transmitting a sexually transmitted infection to FKA Twigs.
“Further, LaBeouf admitted that he had experienced a flareup of his disease’s symptoms in December 2019, but worked to hide his outward symptoms from Tahliah by applying makeup,” reads the lawsuit.
FKA Twigs cited LaBeouf “raging” at her on the way home from a trip, one where she had woken up in the middle of the night being choked by the actor.
It is alleged he drove erratically on the way home, threatening to crash the car if she did not profess her love for him. She asked to be let out of the car, to which LaBeouf reportedly agreed, before following and assaulting her and throwing her against the car.
The incident, The New York Times says, is just one of many in their relationship, which lasted a year.
The lawsuit also hears from an ex of LaBeouf’s, Karolyn Pho.
Pho details similar instances in her relationship with the actor. One of them being a situation where she woke up to being violently head butted by a drunken LaBeouf until she bled.
Shia LaBeouf has commented on the lawsuit, emailing a statement to The New York Times.
He said, “I’m not in any position to tell anyone how my behavior made them feel.”
“I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations. I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years. I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I’m ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt. There is nothing else I can really say.”
FKA Twigs tweeted a thread about the lawsuit.
“It may be surprising to you to learn that i was in an emotionally and physically abusive relationship,” she wrote.
“It was hard for me to process too, during and after I never thought something like this would happen to me.”
it may be surprising to you to learn that i was in an emotionally and physically abusive relationship. it was hard for me to process too, during and after i never thought something like this would happen to me.
— FKA twigs (@FKAtwigs) December 11, 2020
“Which is why i have decided it’s important for me to talk about it and try to help people understand that when you are under the coercive control of an abuser or in an intimate partner violent relationship leaving doesn’t feel like a safe or achievable option.”
“I hope that by sharing my experience i can truly help others feel like they are not alone and shed some light on how those who are worried somebody they care about may be in an abusive relationship can help because I understand it can be confusing and hard to know what to do.
“The statistics on domestically abusive and intimate partner violence relationships are shocking and during covid I have been really anxious because I know many victims will have been literally trapped with their abusers with no relief or way to get out.
“My second worst nightmare is being forced to share with the world that I am a survivor of domestic violence my first worst nightmare is not telling anyone and knowing that i could have helped even just one person by sharing my story>”
Find the full Twitter thread here.
