US Rapper ‘Soulja Boy’ Loses S3xual Battery Case, Fined $4.25 Million

A jury has found American rapper Soulja Boy liable for sexual battery, assault, and intentional infliction of emotional distress in a civil lawsuit filed by a former assistant. The court has ordered the 34-year-old artist, best known for his 2007 hit ‘Crank That’, to pay $4.25 million (approximately K550 million) in damages.

According to BBC reports, the payout includes $4 million in compensatory damages and an additional $250,000 in punitive damages.

The lawsuit, filed in 2021 by an unnamed woman, alleged that Soulja Boy subjected her to repeated physical and sexual abuse while she worked for him. The Associated Press reported that the woman began working for the rapper in 2018, earning $500 (about K64,820) per week, with duties ranging from cooking and cleaning to managing personal errands.

She claimed that the abuse began shortly after her employment started and escalated over time, including regular beatings and sexual assaults. One incident detailed in the suit involved the woman being raped and assaulted after returning to collect her belongings months after leaving.

Soulja Boy denied the allegations, stating that their relationship was consensual and asserting that she was not his employee, but merely a “blunt roller” who lived with him.

After two days of deliberations, the jury sided with the plaintiff on the core charges but cleared the rapper of other claims, including false imprisonment and constructive dismissal.

This marks not the first time Soulja Boy has faced legal consequences for assault. In 2023, he was ordered to pay $471,900 (approx. K61 million) to ex-girlfriend Kayla Myers over a 2020 assault and kidnapping lawsuit.