Soulja Boy Slapped With $4 Million Verdict In Civil Sexual Assault Trial

Photo Credit: Soulja Boy | X/Twitter

Rapper Soulja Boy (real name DeAndre Cortez Way) was slapped with a $4 million verdict in a civil sexual assault trial brought by his former assistant. The ‘Jane Doe’ alleges years of physical and sexual abuse during her employment from 2018 to 2020.

The lawsuit was originally filed in 2021 with allegations of sexual battery, assault, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Jane Doe says the rapper hired her as a personal assistant for $500 weekly, but never paid her. Later after a romantic relationship developed between the two of them, she alleges rape, physical violence, and death threats were levied her way. After attempting to leave in 2020, she says the rapper violently attacked her.

Now a Los Angeles jury has found Soulja Boy liable and awarded the plaintiff $4 million in compensatory damages. That includes $1 million for future harm from sexual battery, $500,000 from past abuse, and $2,650 in unpaid wages. Now the court will consider punitive damages, which could increase the final total.

Jane Doe testified that Soulja Boy raped her repeatedly, locked her in a room without food, and threatened her with a gun. Text messages and witness accounts corroborated some of the claims, including the rapper’s pattern of violent behavior towards Jane Doe—including kicking, punching, and verbal threats.

Soulja Boy has denied all allegations, which his lawyer has called an extortion attempt. The jury cleared him of false imprisonment and hostile work environment claims. The plaintiff’s lawyer Ron Zambrano says the verdict is a step towards justice for victims in the music industry.

The rapper is facing a still pending lawsuit from a different Jane Doe who also alleges physical violence, sexual assault, and emotional distress. That case involved an incident where she allegedly suffered a miscarriage after the rapper violently beat her. Both lawsuits are a civil claim seeking monetary damages rather than criminal penalties. The trial for the second lawsuit has not yet begun and is expected to begin after the punitive damages phase in the first case.

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