Soulja Boy is speaking out after being ordered to pay $4.25 million to a former assistant who accused him of sexual abuse.
The Chicago rapper, 34, born DeAndre Cortez Way, told Courthouse News Service he was “deeply disappointed” by the jury’s decision, calling it “not based on facts or substantial evidence.”
“I want to make it clear that I’m innocent,” Way read from a statement on his phone outside a Santa Monica, California courthouse following the verdict on April 10.
“I am committed to filing an appeal and fighting for the truth to be revealed,” he continued.
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He also pushed back against the court’s decision to let the plaintiff remain anonymous, in the case that saw him accused of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, and failure to pay wages.
“Keeping these individuals anonymous while I’m forced to face public scrutiny creates an unequal playing field,” he said.
The woman, who once had a romantic relationship with the rapper, filed a civil lawsuit anonymously in January 2021 under the name Jane Doe.
Doe’s attorney, Neama Rahmani, called the jury’s decision “the beginning of justice for Soulja Boy’s victims, and other victims in the music industry.”
Doe said she was hired in December 2018 to handle tasks including cleaning, cooking, driving Way, and booking travel. She was paid $500 a week, and claimed she worked seven days a week for up to 20 hours a day at his Malibu and Bell Canyon homes, according to the lawsuit, as previously reported.
The two eventually became romantically involved. Doe said she left in 2020, but alleged she was beaten and raped when she returned to collect her belongings. She also accused Way of violating California’s wage laws.
The rapper, best known for his 2007 hit “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” denied any wrongdoing and called some of the allegations “disgusting.”
According to Courthouse News Service, this isn’t the first time Way has faced legal trouble over abuse allegations. In 2021, he was ordered to pay $471,800 to ex-girlfriend Kayla Myers, who accused him of domestic violence and kidnapping. He did not appeal that decision.
He’s also currently being sued by another ex, Nia Riley, who appeared with him on Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood, according to the Washington Post.
Riley, who is the daughter of music producer Teddy Riley, alleged assault and sexual battery. That case is still pending, with no trial date set. The rapper’s reps have not commented publicly on the case.
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