Kanye West is being sued for allegedly assaulting a model on the set of a music video.
Kanye West is being sued for assault
The ‘Stronger’ hitmaker has been accused of choking ‘America’s Next Top Model’ finalist Jenn An and subjecting her to “pornographic gagging” when she was working on the music video for La Roux‘s ‘In for the Kill’ at the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan in 2010.
In a complaint filed in federal court in New York and obtained by Rolling Stone magazine, the plaintiff told how she was dressed in lingerie when Kanye arrived on set, pointed to her and said: “Give me the Asian girl.”
Jenn alleged Kanye directed the camera crew zoomed in on her face as he staged his “own production”, “towering over” her and “breathing heavily”.
The lawsuit stated: “On camera, defendant West began to choke plaintiff with one hand. He then wrapped his other hand around her neck and continued to strangle her with both hands.
“He then rammed several fingers down her throat, continuously moved them in and out, and gagged her.”
She went on to accuse the 47-year-old rapper of using his fingers to “emulate forced oral sex” as he assaulted her “in a manner similar to pornographic gagging/deep throat/BDSM fetishes.”
Jenn also claimed Kanye screamed: “This is art. This is f****** art. I am like Picasso.”
The ‘Mindy Project’ actress panicked and looked for someone else to intervene but claimed no one helped her.
The lawsuit continued: “Plaintiff struggled to breathe and felt as if she had temporarily blacked out. When defendant West decided that he was finished with plaintiff, her face was covered in saliva and smeared makeup.”
Jenn is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, and as well as accusing Kanye of sexual assault and strangulation, she also listed Universal Music Group as a co-defendant, claiming they planned the rapper’s cameo in the video and later “failed to investigate” the incident or take any action.
The model hopes speaking out will help to create a “safer world” for other artists.
She said in a statement: “Women in the music and entertainment industries have been subject to sexual abuse for years with no recourse to speak out or implement change. This space is a dangerous place for women. We are essentially objects in the entertainment world. The industries have thrived on placing us in abusive power dynamics.
“Outside of creating legal precedent, survivors of sexual assault have nothing. I hope to hold the abusers accountable through the legal system.”
Neither Kanye nor Jenn appear in the final ‘In for the Kill’ video.