Judge allows Soulja Boy’s former assistant’s sexual abuse lawsuit to proceed

A judge ruled that a lawsuit against Soulja Boy, alleging sexual abuse and wage violations, can move forward.

Rapper Soulja Boy's former personal assistant, who alleges she was sexually abused by the rapper, won a legal round on Wednesday, December 4, when a judge ruled that her lawsuit could proceed. 

The lawsuit, filed in 2021, includes claims of sexual battery, physical assault, false imprisonment, and wage violations during her employment from late 2018 to mid-2020. Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Mark H. Epstein denied a motion by Soulja Boy’s legal team to dismiss several key claims, including gender violence, hostile work environment, and negligence.

Judge Epstein criticized the defense’s arguments, calling them "frivolous," especially the claim that Soulja Boy did not owe a duty to the plaintiff not to sexually assault her. The judge also dismissed the argument that the sexual assault had nothing to do with gender, emphasizing that the allegations were serious.

The plaintiff, referred to as "Jane Doe" in the case, worked as Soulja Boy’s personal assistant, performing various tasks such as cooking, styling his hair, managing his travel plans, and carrying his belongings. She was paid $500 a week for these duties, often working 20-hour days, seven days a week, at his homes in Malibu and Bell Canyon. 

According to the lawsuit, their relationship became romantic, but was later marred by repeated incidents of sexual abuse, physical assault, and emotional manipulation from January 2019 to December 2020. The assistant also alleges that Soulja Boy failed to pay her overtime wages and violated labor laws during her employment.

Soulja Boy, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, is 34 years old. He has denied the allegations, with his representatives calling them untrue. The lawsuit describes several instances of violent outbursts, sexual assault, and coercive control, including incidents where the plaintiff was allegedly locked in a room without basic necessities. She claims that these experiences left her physically and emotionally traumatized, and her legal team is seeking accountability through the courts.

The rapper, best known for his 2007 hit single 'Crank That (Soulja Boy),' rose to fame by leveraging platforms like MySpace and YouTube. Despite the ongoing lawsuit, Soulja Boy remains a well-known figure in the music industry.