Soulja Boy has been ordered to pay $4 million to his former personal assistant after a jury in California found him liable in a civil case for claims of intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual harassment and non-payment of wages.
The 34-year-old rapper, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, was cleared on claims of false imprisonment and constructive discharge.
The plaintiff in the case has been identified only as a Jane Doe. In a statement to The Independent, her attorney Ron Zambrano said: “We’re happy our client was vindicated and the jury believed her claims of physical and sexual assault.”
The trial, which took place in Santa Monica, saw the jury award the plaintiff just over $4 million in compensatory damages. The jury will next determine whether Soulja Boy must also pay punitive damages.
Zambrano continued: “We’re looking forward to moving on to the punitive damages phase of the case.”
In a further statement, Zambrano’s colleague Neama Rahmani added: “Today’s verdict is just the beginning of justice for Soulja Boy’s victims, and other victims in the music industry.”
In the lawsuit, Jane Doe claimed that she began working for Soulja Boy in late 2018. She alleged that the artist locked her in a room “for three days against her will” and raped her “on numerous occasions.”
At the start of her employment, she said Soulja Boy agreed to pay her $500 a week for services including cleaning his house, cooking, carrying personal belongings, styling his hair and handling travel arrangements. He never paid for these services.
Instead, the pair began a romantic relationship that quickly turned abusive, according to the lawsuit. She claimed he raped her for the first time in February 2019 before expressing remorse and giving her $1,000.
According to the suit, Doe believed she was in love with Way even as he continued to manipulate and assault her.
“In August of 2020, defendant Way attacked plaintiff so hard that she thought she was going to die. Plaintiff regained consciousness outside of defendant Way’s home on the grass, and ran away from the home,” according to the lawsuit. “At this point, plaintiff moved out of defendant Way’s home with none of her personal belongings.”
She sought both compensatory and punitive damages as, according to the complaint, “Way caused plaintiff numerous and serious physical and sexual injuries causing plaintiff to fear for her life.”
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
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