Soulja Boy was ordered on Thursday to pay $4 million in damages after being found liable in a sexual assault case brought forward by a woman who previously worked as his assistant.
The “Crank That” rapper, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, was accused of sexual and physical violence in a lawsuit originally filed in January 2021.
The victim, identified only as Jane Doe, claimed Way started sending her unsolicited nude photos roughly a month after she began working for him in December 2018. The two started dating, but the relationship turned toxic, including incidents of rape, battery and death threats, she said.
Doe claimed that that she eventually tried to end the relationship and quit the job, but the rapper locked her in a room for several days without any food.
Throughout the trial, which began in March, Doe’s lawyers presented photographic evidence of bruises she allegedly sustained at the hands of Way, as well threatening text messages.
“I didn’t even feel human anymore. I felt like an animal,” Doe testified. “I wanted to die.”
Way, who also took the stand, denied physically harming Doe and called their relationship entirely consensual though contentious at times.
Doe had been seeking nearly $74 million in damages, with her lawyers asking the jury to award her the full amount.
“He raped her. He punched her. He kicked her. He cut her,” her attorney, Ron Zambrano, said during closing arguments on Monday, Variety reported. “He pointed a Draco gun at her. He locked her in her room… He told her, ‘I hope you die slow.’”
Meanwhile, the rapper’s attorneys characterized Doe as a liar who was merely looking for a payday.
On Thursday, the jury ultimately found Soulja Boy liable for a range of civil claims including sexual battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress. However, he was found not liable for false imprisonment and creating a hostile work environment.
A second anonymous accuser filed a separate lawsuit against the rapper in May 2021, with similar allegations, including that she suffered a miscarriage after being beaten by Way while he pointed a gun at her head.
Two years later, he was ordered to pay nearly $472,000 in damages after former girlfriend Kayla Myers accused him of kidnapping and assault.
© American Military News