Jury orders rapper Soulja Boy to pay $4m to woman who accused him of sexual assault

A jury has ordered rapper Soulja Boy to pay $4m to a woman who has accused him of sexual assault during their nearly two-year relationship.

On Thursday, a jury in Santa Monica, California, found the 34-year-old rapper – whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way – liable for a handful of claims including sexual battery, assault and imprisonment in a lawsuit brought by a woman who said she worked as his assistant. A representative for Way had previously called the case “nonsense”.

According to the 36-year-old woman, who filed her complaint anonymously, Way regularly raped her and beat her and sometimes kept her as a prisoner. During her three-day testimony, the woman said when she started working for Way, she weighed approximately 150lbs pounds, Courthouse News reports.

“I was about 86lbs when I managed to get away from him,” she said, adding: “I didn’t even feel human any more. I felt like an animal.”

The woman also testified that while she worked for Way, she did not have a car and her phone “went missing” along with her driver’s license. At one point, she said Way told her: “Bitch, I have your license.”

The woman testified that despite Way’s mistreatment of her, at one point the two fell in love and were in something like a consensual relationship, Courthouse News reports. According to text messages shown in court which the outlet reviewed, both the woman and Way expressed love for each other at certain times.

Other times, Way would apologize to the woman and say: “Babe come back let’s talk seriously” and “Are u ok … I’m sorry I love u please call.” One text message from the woman read: “You think you can keep hitting on me you are crazy.”

After the three-week-long trial, Way was also found liable on claims of intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual harassment and nonpayment of wages. He was cleared on claims of false imprisonment and constructive discharge, Courthouse News reports.

In a statement reported by USA Today, the woman’s attorney, Ron Zambrano, said: “We’re happy our client was vindicated and the jury believed her claims of physical and sexual assault … We’re looking forward to moving on to the punitive damages phase of the case.”

Meanwhile, Way’s attorney, Rickey Ivie, said that the woman made up her story and was instead motivated by greed. “She wanted to be paid … which is what this case is all about because it’s not about the truth,” Ivie said.

Source : The Guardian