Judge Rules Soulja Boy Sexual Assault Accuser’s Lawsuit Can Move Forward
Soulja Boy’s former personal assistant, who alleges she was sexually abused by the “Crank That” rapper, won a round in court on Wednesday (December 4), when a judge ruled her lawsuit against him can move forward.
Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Mark H. Epstein denied a motion by Soulja Boy’s attorneys to dismiss multiple causes of action in the lawsuit brought by the plaintiff, including gender violence, hostile work environment and negligence.
“Way seems to contend that he owes plaintiff no duties outside the employment relationship.” the judge wrote. “The court is not sure what defendant means. If defendant means that he did not owe plaintiff a duty not to sexually assault her, the argument is frivolous. If it is something else, the court does not know what it is. Similarly meritless is the argument that the sexual assault had nothing to do with gender.”
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The woman, who is only referred to as “Jane Doe,” originally filed her lawsuit in 2021. The assistant alleged that she endured severe sexual, physical, and emotional abuse while working for him from late 2018 to mid-2020. The claims include sexual battery, physical assault, false imprisonment and withholding wages.
Doe’s duties included cooking and bringing food and snacks, carrying personal belongings or luggage, styling his hair, driving him and handling travel plans, the suit states.According to the suit, she was paid $500 weekly for her services. She claims she worked seven days a week, 20 hours daily, at his homes in Malibu and Bell Canyon.
The two eventually became romantically involved, but from January 2019 to December 2020 he sexually abused her and didn’t pay her overtime while also committing other wage and hour violations.
The judge insisted in the latest ruling that “if the OT was worked, it must be paid.”
The lawsuit also details a series of incidents where Soulja Boy allegedly subjected the assistant to violent outbursts, sexual assault and coercive control. She stated that the abuse began shortly after she was hired, escalated into a pattern of violence and included instances where she was locked in a room without basic necessities. She also alleged that she wasn’t paid for much of her work during the 18-month employment period.
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Soulja Boy has denied the allegations, calling them untrue through his representatives. However, the plaintiff’s legal team argued that the treatment left her physically and emotionally traumatized and sought accountability through the legal system.
Soulja Boy, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, rose to fame in 2007 with his breakout single “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” which became a viral hit and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Known for pioneering early internet-driven success in the music industry, he leveraged platforms like MySpace and YouTube to build his career and reach a massive audience.