Rapper Soulja Boy was found liable on allegations he assaulted, sexually battered and harassed his former assistant.
A jury found Soulja Boy (real name DeAndre Cortez Way), 34, liable on Thursday, April 10. He must pay the anonymous plaintiff, referred to as Jane Doe, $4 million in compensatory damages and $250,000 in punitive damages. Doe also requested an additional $4 million in damages, on which a jury has yet to rule.
“I feel like I got justice. Obviously, it’s not going to return everything I lost. I lost way more than I gained. My hope is he doesn’t do this to any more women,” Doe told Rolling Stone after the verdict was read on Thursday. “I don’t even recognize that person anymore — the person he turned me into. It was the worst version of myself. It was like I was in survival mode.”
In a separate statement, Doe said that the damages would be able to “help” her get medical attention and start therapy.
While Hollywood may appear to be all glitz and glam on the surface, the industry has seen its fair share of scandals through the years. The New York Times and the New Yorker first published investigative pieces in 2017 that accused disgruntled movie producer Harvey Weinstein of decades of sexual assault and harassment. Soon after, Weinstein stood trial and was […]
“None of that is going to give me my life back,” she said, per Courthouse News. “I got some justice. I’m happy that this is all over now.”
The jury, however, did not find Soulja Boy liable on Doe’s false imprisonment claims nor accusations of fostering a hostile work environment.
Soulja Boy was named in a lawsuit in January 2021, with Doe claiming that the “Crank That” musician assaulted her and failed to pay her for her work as his assistant in 2019 and 2020. Soulja Boy vehemently denied the allegations at the time.
“The district attorney never filed charges. I was never charged or convicted of this criminally. So, to be accused of this civilly is beyond me,” Soulja Boy said in a Thursday statement obtained by Rolling Stone. “I’ve never done any of the things they’re accusing me of. I just feel like this is very unfair.”
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He continued, “I want to make it clear that I’m innocent. This case was never about justice. It was about money and personal gain, and I will not let that stand. I am committed to filing an appeal and fighting for the truth to be revealed.”
While Soulja Boy has not further addressed the jury result, Doe’s attorneys stressed that their client felt “vindicated” by the trial outcome.
“Those were the ones that certainly caused the most damage,” her lawyer Neama Rahmani told Rolling Stone. “She feels vindicated because he called her a liar. He said she was never an employee — nothing more than a disgruntled, jealous, lying ex. And the jury rejected that argument.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
