Abuse and kidnapping allegations against Soulja Boy explored as trial for 2021 civil lawsuit begins

Soulja Boy's civil trial originating from a 2021 lawsuit kicked off on Thursday, March 15 that levies allegations of sexual assault, kidnapping, and more against him.

The case trial is being held in Santa Monica, California, and just this week, the rapper and his alleged ex-girlfriend settled on the jurors for the trial. The filing comes from a woman going by Jane Doe, who claims to have worked as the rapper's personal assistant.

She is accusing the 34-year-old of sexual battery, assault, sexual assault, false imprisonment, emotional distress, unpaid overtime, and engineering a hostile work environment. Soulja Boy, whose real name is DeAndre Way, is maintaining his innocence. He told TMZ back in 2021,

"I vehemently and unequivocally deny these allegations. I am in contact with my legal team and the appropriate legal action will be taken against these lies."

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Jane Doe's case against Soulja Boy explored

Jane Doe claims she began working for Soulja Boy in 2018, noting that it paid her $500 a week and came with housing and board. However, as reported by Court House News, she testified that the rapper would consistently threaten and abuse her and prohibit her from leaving her accommodation.

"He would hit me," the woman said. "Most of the time it was on my chest area, the arms, my ribs. Sometimes, if he was very mad, he would hit me in my face."

She claims to have been forced to work seven days a week, 20 hours a day. Her duties allegedly included cleaning, cooking, and rolling blunts for the rapper, among other things. However, she claims that within the first month on the job, the rapper sent her unsolicited explicit images. Not long after, the two allegedly got into a relationship, though it quickly turned abusive.

Jane Doe claims that on multiple occasions, the rapper would spit on her, threaten to send shooters to kill her mom, and more.

“On numerous occasions, and sometimes twice in the same day, [Soulja] would inappropriately touch [Jane’s] body, forcefully pull her pants off, and raped her,” Jane’s lawyer wrote in the complaint.

The suit read, in part, as reported by InTouch:

“On or around May of 2019, [Soulja] violently grabbed [Jane’s] cell phone after she indicated she wanted to quit and spit on her. At that time, [Jane] believed she was in love with [Soulja] and was placated to remain in this toxic relationship by [Soulja] who would often state ‘I didn’t mean it.’”

The lawsuit accuses Soulja Boy of assaulting her when he got jealous and frequently threatened to kill her. Jane Doe is also claiming that she was shackled in a room for three days with no hot water after she told the rapper she wanted to quit her job. However, she claims he managed to convince her to stay. She revealed that she weighed 150 pounds when she started working for him.

"I was about 86 pounds when I managed to get away from him," she said, crying, per Court House News. "I didn’t even feel human anymore. I felt like an animal."

During the trial, when probed by her attorney, Ron Zambrano of West Coast Trial Lawyers about why she didn't leave him, she said:

"I don't know. I just didn’t know what to do. I was scared, I was embarrassed to tell anybody. I had lost my apartment. I didn’t have any money. He was refusing to pay me. I didn’t really have options."

Jane Doe is slated to retake the stand this Thursday, and Zambrano has revealed that after she does so, he will call the rapper to the stand as a hostile witness.

Soulja Boy has denied assaulting Jane Doe or that she was ever his employee, as in a recent filing, he contended that they had a “consensual, intimate relationship for approximately a year before it dissolved.” His lawyer claimed:

“With respect to all causes of action, without admitting that any particular action or conduct occurred, upon information and belief, any and all alleged action or conduct [Jane] claims is illegal or improper, occurred, if at all, with [Jane’s] s consent.”

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In the past, Soulja Boy has faced allegations of physical and sexual abuse from former partners Nia Riley and Kayla Myers.