Note: This article contains descriptions of alleged sexual and physical assault.
Soulja Boy was sued, in January 2021, by a woman who had worked for the musician as a personal assistant. A Santa Monica, California, jury has now returned its verdicts in the civil case and found Soulja Boy to be liable for assault, sexual battery, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, failure to pay wages, and punitive damages. The woman, identified as Jane Doe, is to be awarded more than $4,000,000 in damages.
Soulja Boy was also not found liable for damages on several counts in the lawsuit, including false imprisonment and creating a hostile work environment.
“We’re happy our client was vindicated and the jury believed her claims of physical and sexual assault,” one of Doe’s attorneys, Ronald L. Zambrano, said in a statement. “We’re looking forward to moving on to the punitive damages phase of the case.”
“Today’s verdict is just the beginning of justice for Soulja Boy’s victims, and other victims in the music industry,” attorney Neama Rahmani added.
Jane Doe, according to her lawsuit, began working for Soulja Boy, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, in December 2018. “Shortly after Plaintiff [Jane Doe] began an employment relationship, a romantic relationship also developed,” the lawsuit contends. “Defendant Way then began to act abusively and violently towards Plaintiff. These abusive acts began on or around January 23, 2019 and included: numerous instances of physical violence (kicking, throwing, and punching), sexual assaults, spitting on her body, and threats of physical violence and death.”
According to the lawsuit, the alleged abuse continued until Wednesday, December 23, 2020. The final incident, Doe says, was when she “was violently attacked again after trying to retrieve her belongings” from the rapper’s home.
The civil trial began in March. In court, Doe testified that Soulja Boy raped her multiple times and regularly abused her physically. “I was about 86 pounds when I managed to get away from him,” she said. “I didn’t even feel human anymore. I felt like an animal.”
Soulja Boy, who is still facing a different lawsuit alleging assault and sexual battery, has denied Jane Doe’s allegations, and one of his attorneys, Rickey Ivie, suggested in court that the woman was lying to try to make money. Pitchfork has reached out to Ivie and Soulja Boy’s other attorney in the case, Jacque LaMont Shirley, for comment on the verdict.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault or domestic abuse, we encourage you to reach out for support:
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
https://www.rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line
SMS: Text “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741
The National Domestic Violence Hotline
https://thehotline.org
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
