Rapper Soulja Boy has been ordered to pay over $4 million in damages to a former assistant who accused him of sexual assault and captivity.
The verdict, delivered by a California jury on April 10, stems from a 2021 lawsuit filed by the woman, identified as Jane Doe.
“The district attorney never filed charges. I was never charged or convicted of this, criminally,” the rapper told Rolling Stone. “So, to be accused of this civilly is beyond me. 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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The 34-year-old Soulja Boy was found liable for assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to the Associated Press. Jurors did not find him liable for false imprisonment and other allegations. The jury awarded his accuser $4 million in compensatory damages and a further $250,00 in punitive damages.
Soulja Boy, born DeAndre Cortez Way, was sued in January 2021 by the former assistant who accused him of sexual assault, abuse, and unpaid wages, as reported by PEOPLE.
According to court documents, the woman began working for the rapper in December 2018 for $500 a week, performing tasks like cooking and cleaning.
Within a month, Soulja allegedly sent her unsolicited explicit photos and entered a brief romantic relationship with her that quickly turned violent, according to the lawsuit.
In her lawsuit, Soulja Boy’s former assistant mentions multiple alleged incidents of severe abuse, including being punched unconscious and a violent assault in August 2020 that left her fearing for her life.
She also claims the rapper locked her in a room without hot water for three days and sexually assaulted her on numerous occasions.
Although she reported the abuse to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office in December 2020, no criminal charges were filed due to “insufficient evidence.”
“We’re happy our client was vindicated and the jury believed her claims of physical and sexual assault,” Doe’s attorney Ron Zambrano said in a statement on Thursday. “We’re looking forward to moving on to the punitive damages phase of the case.”
