Jury Orders Soulja Boy to Pay Ex-Assistant $4M in Sexual Assault Case

Soulja Boy has been ordered to pay his former assistant more than $4 million after she sued him for alleged sexual abuse.

On Thursday, April 10, a jury in Santa Monica, California found the “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” rapper liable for sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, and failure to pay wages, NBC News reported.

The Chicago rapper, born DeAndre Cortez Way, denied wrongdoing.

However, he must pay $4 million in compensatory damages and another $250,000 in punitive damages.

The woman, who at one time was a romantic partner of the rapper, filed the lawsuit anonymously in January 2021, and was listed as a Jane Doe.

“Today’s verdict is just the beginning of justice for Soulja Boy’s victims, and other victims in the music industry,” the woman’s attorney Neama Rahmani said in a statement.

The rapper’s lawyer, Rickey Ivie, said they plan to “fight” the jury’s decision.

“We maintain that the evidence does not support the verdict,” Ivie said. “It is unfortunate that aspersions and misperceptions of a culture were allowed to influence the trial. Mr. Way fully intends to pursue his post-trial remedies and to fight for a just result in this case.”

In her suit, Doe said she was hired in December 2018. Her duties included cleaning, cooking, acting as Way’s driver, booking his travel and other responsibilities, according to the lawsuit.

She was paid $500 weekly for her services. The complaint said she lived and worked seven days a week, 20 hours daily at Way’s homes in Malibu and Bell Canyon, just outside Los Angeles.

At some point, the two became romantically involved. Doe said she left in 2020, but alleged she was beaten and raped when she returned to retrieve her personal belongings.

She additionally accused the rapper of violating California’s employee wage laws.

Way denied Doe’s allegations. He countered that she lived “rent-free” in his homes, and said she occasionally helped him on a voluntary basis.

The woman and Way both took the stand during the trial.

Vibe magazine reported the woman testified that Way allegedly locked her in rooms and deprived her of food to the point that she had to beg gardeners for instant noodles.

“I didn’t even feel human anymore. I felt like an animal,” she said.

Doe reported the alleged abuse in December 2020, but the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office declined to pursue criminal charges citing a lack of evidence.