Observe: This text comprises descriptions of alleged sexual and bodily assault.
Soulja Boy was sued, in January 2021, by a lady who had labored for the musician as a private assistant. A Santa Monica, California, jury has now returned its verdicts within the civil case and located Soulja Boy to be chargeable for assault, sexual battery, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional misery, failure to pay wages, and punitive damages. The lady, recognized as Jane Doe, is to be awarded greater than $4,000,000 in damages.
Soulja Boy was additionally not discovered chargeable for damages on a number of counts within the lawsuit, together with false imprisonment and making a hostile work atmosphere.
“We’re blissful our consumer was vindicated and the jury believed her claims of bodily and sexual assault,” one among Doe’s attorneys, Ronald L. Zambrano, stated in a press release. “We’re trying ahead to shifting on to the punitive damages part of the case.”
“At this time’s verdict is just the start of justice for Soulja Boy’s victims, and different victims within the music business,” legal professional Neama Rahmani added.
Jane Doe, in accordance with her lawsuit, started working for Soulja Boy, whose actual identify is DeAndre Cortez Means, in December 2018. “Shortly after Plaintiff [Jane Doe] started an employment relationship, a romantic relationship additionally developed,” the lawsuit contends. “Defendant Means then started to behave abusively and violently in direction of Plaintiff. These abusive acts started on or round January 23, 2019 and included: quite a few cases of bodily violence (kicking, throwing, and punching), sexual assaults, spitting on her physique, and threats of bodily violence and demise.”
In response to the lawsuit, the alleged abuse continued till Wednesday, December 23, 2020. The ultimate incident, Doe says, was when she “was violently attacked once more after making an attempt to retrieve her belongings” from the rapper’s dwelling.
The civil trial started in March. In court docket, Doe testified that Soulja Boy raped her a number of instances and often abused her bodily. “I used to be about 86 kilos once I managed to get away from him,” she stated. “I didn’t even really feel human anymore. I felt like an animal.”
Soulja Boy, who continues to be dealing with a special lawsuit alleging assault and sexual battery, has denied Jane Doe’s allegations, and one among his attorneys, Rickey Ivie, recommended in court docket that the girl was mendacity to attempt to make cash. Pitchfork has reached out to Ivie and Soulja Boy’s different legal professional within the case, Jacque LaMont Shirley, for touch upon the decision.
If you happen to or somebody you realize has been affected by sexual assault or home abuse, we encourage you to succeed in out for assist:
RAINN Nationwide Sexual Assault Hotline
https://www.rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Disaster Textual content Line
SMS: Textual content “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741
The Nationwide Home Violence Hotline
https://thehotline.org
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)