Soulja Boy Denies All Allegations Of Sexual Assault During Trial

Soulja Boy took the stand Tuesday (April 1) in a California civil trial and denied allegations that he assaulted, raped, and imprisoned a woman who once lived with him as his alleged personal assistant. Facing jurors in Santa Monica, the rapper, neé DeAndre Cortez Way, insisted he “never” harmed the plaintiff, who filed the lawsuit under the pseudonym Jane Doe, Rolling Stone reports.

The trial, now moving into its third week, has heard both narratives from Doe and Way. Doe’s testimony on March 19 painted a harrowing picture of alleged abuse that spanned two years, beginning in early 2019. She told jurors that Way first raped her in a bathroom during a police raid in February 2019, then subjected her to relentless physical and emotional torment throughout their tumultuous relationship. While acknowledging periods of consensual intimacy, she claimed Way frequently beat, berated, and sexually assaulted her.

The “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” rapper admitted to a sexual encounter during the police raid but asserted it was consensual. “I asked her if she wanted to have sex, and she was engaged in it,” he testified. “She didn’t push me or say stop, nothing like that.” His attorney, Rickey Ivie, recalled the months following his release from a three-month jail stint for a weapons-related probation violation. Way recounted how, upon regaining his freedom in July 2019, he invited Doe to live with him at a different residence, not as an employee, but as a romantic partner.

While being questioned by Ivie, Way denied one of Doe’s most serious accusations. “Did you ever hit the plaintiff in the mouth, bust her lip, and force her to give you oral sex?” Ivie asked. “Of course not, and that’s a disgusting allegation,” he replied. “It sounds crazy to me. I did not do that.”

The Atlanta sensation had initially testified last week when he was called as a hostile witness by Doe’s legal team. When asked whether Doe had worked for him as a personal assistant, he denied it. However, Doe’s lawyer then presented video evidence showing Way shopping on Rodeo Drive in January 2019, calling out, “Where’s [Doe]? Where’s my assistant?” as she hurried over with his bags. Explaining the contradiction, Way claimed he had referred to her as an assistant for convenience. “We were in a public setting, and I didn’t want to refer to her as ‘blunt roller’ with cameras and people around,” he explained. “I thought it was more appropriate to call her ‘assistant.’”

He maintained she was never a paid employee but instead lived “rent-free” and occasionally helped him voluntarily.

Reportedly, Doe became visibly emotional as Way denied all of her claims. She recounted how, during the February 2019 police raid, Way allegedly spun her around in the bathroom, pulled down her pants, and initiated sex as she stood frozen in shock. She said she didn’t report the alleged assault to Ventura County sheriff’s deputies because she feared retaliation. “I feared for my life,” she told the jury. “I was scared of what he would do to my family.”

Her allegations extended beyond physical and sexual violence as she claimed Way locked her in rooms, insulted her, and deprived her of food to the point where she once begged gardeners for instant noodles. Her weight, she claimed, dropped from 140 pounds to just 86. “I didn’t even feel human anymore. I felt like an animal,” she stated. “I wanted to die.”

Doe reported the alleged abuse to authorities in December 2020, but the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office declined to pursue criminal charges, citing a lack of sufficient evidence to meet the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Instead, the case was dubbed a civil lawsuit in January 2021.

She is seeking damages for sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, emotional distress, unpaid wages, and a hostile work environment. Among other claims, she alleges Way punched her in the head “at least 10 times,” including one instance where she lost consciousness and awoke in a locked room without food or water.

With closing arguments expected by Thursday (April 3), jurors will soon decide whether Doe’s claims warrant legal consequences for Way.