Los Angeles, CA – Rapper Soulja Boy, legally known as DeAndre Cortez Way, found himself in the hot seat this week as he testified in a Los Angeles Superior Court civil trial, fiercely rejecting accusations of rape and abuse leveled by a former personal assistant, identified only as Jane Doe. The high-stakes legal battle has drawn significant attention, pitting the artist’s account of a consensual relationship against harrowing allegations of violence and coercion.
Soulja Boy took the stand to address a specific incident during a February 2019 police raid at his home, admitting to a sexual encounter with Doe but insisting it was entirely mutual. “I asked her if she wanted to, and she was into it—no resistance, no objections,” he told the court, according to Rolling Stone. When pressed on the broader claims of physical and sexual assault, the rapper dismissed them as “disgusting” and “outrageous,” maintaining his innocence with palpable indignation.
Doe’s allegations paint a starkly different picture. She claims her tenure as Soulja Boy’s assistant from late 2018 to 2020 was marked by repeated abuse, including rape during the 2019 raid and again in October 2020 when she returned to retrieve her belongings. Beyond sexual violence, Doe alleges a pattern of physical attacks—punching, kicking, and spitting—alongside chilling threats. She recounted an incident where Soulja Boy allegedly locked her in a room for three days without food or water after she attempted to resign, and another where he withheld her driver’s license while brandishing firearms.
Doe’s testimony also included claims of psychological manipulation, alleging the rapper isolated her at his Malibu rental and once paid her $1,000 after an assault as a twisted form of amends. She described death threats, including a menacing vow that he “should have killed” her, and warnings of harm to her family if she dared to leave.
Soulja Boy’s defense, led by attorney Rickey Ivie, counters that the relationship was consensual and accuses Doe of fabricating her story without solid proof. While Ventura County prosecutors declined to pursue criminal charges in 2021 due to insufficient evidence, Doe’s civil suit presses forward, seeking compensation for sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, emotional distress, unpaid wages, and a toxic work environment.
As the trial unfolds, the courtroom remains a battleground for truth, with both sides digging in. The outcome could reshape Soulja Boy’s public image and career, while Doe fights for justice in a case that underscores the complexities of power dynamics in the entertainment world.
