American rapper Soulja Boy known for his hits “Crank That” and “Kiss Me Thru The Phone” may face stiff penalties. Adding to the chaos, a court has ordered him to pay $4.25 million to a former assistant who has accused him of sexual battery and abuse. The ruling follows trial this summer in 2023. It originates from a federal lawsuit that the woman filed in 2020.
Way DeAndre Cortez, better known by his stage name Soulja Boy, hired the woman as an assistant in 2018. Shortly after her employment started, the two entered into a romantic entanglement. The once collaborative relationship between the agency and the advocacy group took an unfortunate, dark turn. Almost three years later, in 2020, the woman sued Soulja Boy for sexual assault and wrongful imprisonment.
In doing so, the lawsuit uncovered a long pattern of horrific incidents. Ultimately, the jury ruled in favor of the woman, awarding her $4 million in compensatory damages and another $250,000 in punitive damages. This ruling is a powerful example of the jury’s determination to make Soulja Boy answer for his behavior as an abuser in his and the plaintiff’s relationship.
Soulja Boy never responded to any of the woman’s lawsuit with denials. In his opening statement, he focused on the gravity of the allegations and how they ruined his client’s life.
“I didn’t even feel human any more,” – the woman
In 2023, the court held Soulja Boy responsible for a total of $471,900 in costs as soured up over the course of the case. So, through the entire legal process, Soulja Boy’s lawyer, Rickey Ivie, insisted that these allegations were false. Ivie further recommended that the woman’s motivations arose out of jealousy and greed.
Soulja Boy’s history is littered with similar allegations, which begs the question about how he treats and deals with women in general. He broke through with that success in the early 2010s, making $7 million in 2010, per Forbes. Yet the same legal troubles that have been a constant shadow ever since have sullied that golden image.
Despite all of these complications, Soulja Boy has strayed far from the music-mogul path. He’s taken his talents to record production and video game development, trying to stay ahead of the curve in a constantly changing world of entertainment. He helps define the sound of party rap. Songs such as “Pretty Boy Swag” launched him to major stardom and cemented his place as a leading face of hip-hop culture.
The verdict is a decisive day for the accuser and Soulja Boy. It represents our society’s increasing focus on accountability, as well as the seriousness of sexual assault claims. For most watchers of this case, this is a tragic lesson on the legal and personal peril that awaits any person brave enough to make such accusations.
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