Soulja Boy Sued for Domestic Abuse, Sexual Battery
A woman who had been involved in a long-term romantic relationship with Soulja Boy has filed a lawsuit against the rapper, accusing him of sexual and physical abuse.
The plaintiff filed the civil suit as “Jane Doe” in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday. The rapper, whose real name DeAndre Cortez Way, is accused of violently punching and hitting the plaintiff, including once so severely when she was pregnant that it caused a miscarriage, as well as coercing her into sex through threats of violence.
“Our client is fortunate she was able to escape Way’s reign of terror and domestic abuse,” said the plaintiff’s lawyer, Neama Rahmani, in a statement. “Still, she struggles to rebuild her life as she deals with the stress, fear and humiliation she continues to suffer from the years she remained Way’s emotional and mental captive. She worries about her daughter’s security and safety and about her ability to re-establish her career. How many women’s lives will Way ravage before he is held accountable? We plan for it to end here.” (A representative for Way did not immediately return a request for comment.)
According to the lawsuit, obtained by Rolling Stone, the plaintiff and Way began their “on-and-off romantic relationship” in 2007, though dated more seriously between 2014 and 2019. The lawsuit describes several instances of alleged abuse, starting with an altercation that took place in 2015, after the plaintiff and Way had started living together, and while the plaintiff was pregnant with Way’s child.
The suit claims that, despite knowing the plaintiff was pregnant at the time, Way became “irate and violent” during a conversation, and began to “punch Plaintiff in the face and chest, until she could no longer stand on her feet.” After falling to the ground, the suit claims Way continued to “kick [her] all over her body, particularly in the stomach.” Not long after, the suit states, the plaintiff “suffered a miscarriage and was unable to carry her pregnancy into full term.” The suit also claims the plaintiff had to “undergo a dilation and curettage procedure to remove her uterine lining after the miscarriage.”
Another incident allegedly took place in August 2018, when the plaintiff and Way were filming a reality show (ostensibly Marriage Bootcamp, as the suit notes the episode later aired on We TV). Following a conversation about their relationship, Way allegedly “became upset and ran to Plaintiff’s bed, stood over her and began to physically attack and yell at her.” The incident was captured on night vision cameras used during production on the show, according to the suit.
Elsewhere, the suit accuses Way of punching and kicking the plaintiff when she would confront him about his mistresses and infidelities. It states that Way threatened the plaintiff’s life on “numerous occasions,” including one instance that allegedly took place in April 2016 when he “posted a video of himself holding a gun, threatening to take Plaintiff’s life.” And it claims that, along with coercing the plaintiff into sexual acts with threats of physical violence, Way subjected her to “physical assault if she refused his sexual demands.”
The last instance of alleged abuse listed in the lawsuit took place in February 2019, after the plaintiff had moved out of her home with Way. Way allegedly stopped by the plaintiff’s new home to drop off some shoes and tried to rekindle their relationship. When the plaintiff said she wasn’t interested, Way allegedly “tightly gripped [her] neck and choked her while threatening her life.”
The plaintiff is seeking general, special and punitive damages and tied to seven causes of action listed in the suit: domestic violence, negligence, sexual battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress and gender violence.
