CONTENT WARNING: The following article discusses sexual battery and assault
Soulja Boy has been sued for sexual battery and assault, among other charges, by a former personal assistant, according to documents obtained by The Blast and Pitchfork.
Reports say Soulja Boy, real name DeAndre Cortez Way, was sued by his former personal assistant, who he’d formed a relationship with.
As well as assault and sexual battery, the rapper is being sued for false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress, gender violence, a hostile work environment, failure to pay minimum wage, unpaid overtime and reimbursements, and inaccurate wage statements.
“Soulja would never put his hands on a female,” a Soulja Boy representative wrote in a statement provided to TMZ.
“He wouldn’t beat a woman or put his hands on a woman…. This is non-sense!!!”
The former assistant who is listed under pseudonym Jane Doe has said she was hired in late 2018 to cook, clean, and drive for the rapper.
The lawsuit claims she worked 20 hour days, seven days a week and was never paid. She was reportedly promised $500 a week for her services.
The woman says she began receiving unsolicited photos of Soulja Boy’s penis in the first month of her employment.
According to the lawsuit, a relationship had developed between the pair by January of 2019 and the abusive behaviour began in February.
His behaviour includes punching, kicking, throwing, spitting, threats, and sexual assault.
Jane Doe alleges that Soulja Boy said “I should have killed you” following a violent incident in April 2020. She was reportedly locked in a room “for three days against her will” and was raped by the rapper “on numerous occasions”.
The lawsuit says that Jane Doe was attacked by the rapper again in August of 2020. This time to the point where she lost consciousness. She says that she woke up on the lawn outside of his home and fled.
She later returned to retrieve her belongings but was reportedly denied them and assaulted.
“[Soulja Boy]’s treatment of our client, as an employee and as a person who deserves respect, has traumatized and filled her with fear,” says Jane Doe’s lawyer, Neama Rahmani, president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, in a statement.
“His abuse imprisoned her physically, mentally and emotionally. When she mustered the courage to flee, he impoverished her. His exploitation severely hampered our client’s ability to re-establish herself in the workplace and in society. We believe he should be held accountable.”