Metro Boomin sued for allegedly raping a mourning mom: ‘Pure shakedown,’ lawyer says
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Metro Boomin is speaking out against allegations that in 2016 he sexually assaulted and raped a woman who was mourning the death of her baby boy.
Attorney Lawrence Hinkle II, a legal representative for the hip-hop producer and “We Don’t Trust You” artist, dismissed the accusations, which surfaced in a civil lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. “This is a pure shakedown,” Hinkle said Wednesday in a statement shared with The Times.
“These are false accusations. Mr. Wayne refused to pay her months ago, and he refuses to pay her now,” he said of his client, whose real name is Leland Tyler Wayne. “Mr. Wayne will defend himself in court. He will file a claim for malicious prosecution once he prevails.”
Metro Boomin’s accuser, Vanessa LeMaistre, is a Los Angeles resident who says she met the rap star through a friend during a weekend trip to Las Vegas in spring 2016, according to the 17-page complaint. Months prior to the trip, in February 2016, LeMaistre had lost her 9-month-old son “as a result of a rare and fatal disease.”
The songwriter and super-producer worked on ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ songs before going on to produce the movie’s soundtrack — along with a cameo role voicing his own character, the Metro Spider.
LeMaistre’s relationship with Metro Boomin started out friendly, the lawsuit says. After the Las Vegas trip, LeMaistre was invited to the musician’s recording studio in California to watch him work. “She was happy for the opportunity to watch him work ... because music provided an escape from the pain she was in after losing her son,” the lawsuit says. In September 2016, Metro Boomin allegedly invited LeMaistre to his studio again, where, according to the lawsuit, she would experience “the second worst thing that ever happened” to her.
Upon arriving to the recording studio, the lawsuit alleges, LeMaistre was “immediately” given a shot of alcohol. She also had ingested “half of a Xanax bar” to help with her anxiety over her son’s death. Metro Boomin and LeMaistre bonded over their personal losses — the musician at the time had ended a long-term relationship. After the conversation, Metro Boomin went back to the studio and LeMaistre blacked out, the complaint says.
LeMaistre alleges that when she came to, she was on a bed with the Grammy-nominated producer on top of her and was uncertain about her whereabouts. She lost consciousness another time and allegedly woke up to Metro Boomin performing oral sex on her. The complaint says LeMaistre was incapable of consenting to any sexual activity during the alleged incident.
“Wayne’s conduct without question constituted rape and sexual assault,” the lawsuit added.
The music mogul’s sexual mistreatment of women dating back decades was aided and abetted by a complex and vast network of enablers, according to a Times review of court filings and interviews with current and former business associates.
Hours later, LeMaistre woke up again and was informed she and Metro Boomin were in a hotel room in Beverly Hills. She was not aware of how they got to the hotel and was told to gather her belongings. Weeks after the alleged incident, LeMaistre learned she was pregnant and was certain it was a result of the rape, the lawsuit says. She had an abortion in November 2016.
In addition to detailing the alleged rape, the lawsuit cites explicit rap lyrics and since-deleted tweets by Metro Boomin that included misogynistic language and references to drugs and sexual activity. The 2017 song “Rap Saved Me,” produced by Metro Boomin and performed by rappers 21 Savage and Offset, featured lyrics about a woman ingesting Xanax and fainting, which horrified LeMaistre and “caused further trauma,” the lawsuit alleges.
The complaint also accuses Metro Boomin of “excessive codeine use,” which allegedly made his behavior “much less predictable.”
Yung Filly, a British YouTuber turned rapper, has been charged with allegedly raping a woman in September, Western Australia officials said Thursday.
“LeMaistre is still working to put herself back together after experiencing such an extraordinary amount of trauma at the hands of Wayne — someone she truly believed to be her friend but turned out to be her worst nightmare,” the lawsuit says.
LeMaistre is suing for battery and sexual battery among other claims. She is seeking an unspecified amount in damages for “severe emotional distress,” compensatory damages and legal fees. She is also seeking a trial by jury.
“Metro Boomin has built a successful career with lyrics and social media that are not only offensive but also explicitly outline his intentions to harm women,” Michael J. Willemin, LeMaistre’s attorney, said Wednesday in a statement to The Times. “These are more than mere words, and it’s time for him to be held accountable for his manipulative tactics and unacceptable behavior.”
He added: “Making defamatory remarks is not going to help Metro Boomin’s cause and we look forward to proving Ms. LeMaistre’s claims in court and ultimately before a jury.”
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