Soulja Boy Ordered To Pay Over $4 Million In Rape, Assault Civil Trial

Warning: The following article contains triggering language, photo and/or video related to domestic violence.

Soulja Boy has been ordered to pay a hefty sum to a Jane Doe victim who accused the rapper of rape and assault. On Thursday (April 10), a jury found the rapper, legal name Deandre Cortez Way, liable in a civil lawsuit filed by a former personal assistant who claimed she was beaten, punched, kicked, sexually assaulted, and held captive throughout their personal and professional relationship.

The Santa Monica, Calif trial awarded plaintiff Doe just over $4 million in compensatory damages. It now moves forward into the next phase of the trial, during which the jury will determine punitive damages. 

“We’re happy our client was vindicated and the jury believed her claims of physical and sexual assault,” expressed plaintiff’s attorney Ron Zambrano, a partner and Employment Litigation Chair at West Coast Employment Lawyers 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,” added plaintiff’s attorney Neama Rahmani, president of West Coast Employment Lawyers. 

According to the lawsuit, Doe worked as a personal assistant or the “Crank That” performer in December 2018, with Soulja Boy agreeing to pay her $500 a week for services including cleaning, cooking, carrying personal belongings, styling his hair, and handling travel arrangements. The complaint alleged he never paid for her services.

It continued to detail that within the first month of her employment, Way sent her unsolicited pictures of his penis before the two entered a romantic relationship. Within a month of them being together, she claimed to have been the victim of kicking, punching, and threats, with the first rape in February 2019. The lawsuit detailed that the rapper paid her $1,000 out of remorse.

“On one occasion, defendant Way punched plaintiff so hard in the head, she lost consciousness, only to wake up in a locked bedroom with no mattress, food or water,” explained the lawsuit. “On another occasion when plaintiff tried to quit and leave defendant Way, defendant Way locked her in a room for approximately three days against her will with no hot water until she was coerced into not leaving.”

It continued to lay out, “In August of 2020, defendant Way attacked plaintiff so hard that she thought she was going to die. Plaintiff regained consciousness outside of defendant Way’s home on the grass and ran away from the home,” according to the lawsuit. “At this point, plaintiff moved out of defendant Way’s home with none of her personal belongings.”

When she returned in October, she was allegedly raped again.

Earlier this month, the 34-year-old denied all allegations. He testified that he “never” harmed the plaintiff, and exclaimed, “It sounds crazy to me. I did not do that,” when asked about punching Doe in the mouth.

VIBE has reached out to representatives for Soulja Boy for a statement.

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