A jury on Thursday found that rapper Soulja Boy was liable for sexually assaulting and physically and emotionally abusing a former assistant, awarding the woman more than $4 million US in damages.
The decision from the Los Angeles County jurors came after a three-week trial in Santa Monica, Calif.
The 34-year-old Soulja Boy, whose legal name is DeAndre Cortez Way, was found liable for assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Jurors did not find him liable for false imprisonment and other allegations. They found the woman should get about $4 million US in compensatory damages and another $250,000 US in punitive damages.
“Today’s verdict is just the beginning of justice for Soulja Boy’s victims and other victims in the music industry,” said the plaintiff’s attorney, Neama Rahmani, in a statement.
Lead defence attorney Rickey Ivie said in his own statement: “We maintain that the evidence does not support the verdict. It is unfortunate that aspersions and misperceptions of a culture were allowed to influence the trial. Mr. Way fully intends to pursue his post-trial remedies and to fight for a just result in this case.”
The woman was not identified by name in the lawsuit she filed in 2021, and The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused.
Abuse detailed in lawsuit
She said she began working for Soulja Boy in 2018, and he agreed to pay her $500 US a week for cleaning his house, cooking for him and doing other personal tasks. But she says she was never paid.
The two began a romantic relationship, and soon after he began abusing her, raping her, kicking her, punching her and threatening her with violence and death, her lawsuit alleges.
She believed she was in love with him, and he manipulated her into staying until 2020 despite repeated acts of violence, the lawsuit says.
She was beaten and raped again when she returned to retrieve her things months after leaving him, the lawsuit says.
The Chicago hip-hop artist is best known for his 2007 single “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” which went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and brought him a Grammy nomination for best rap song.
