Metro Boomin is speaking out against allegations that in 2016 he sexually assaulted and raped a woman who was grieving the death of her baby boy.
Attorney Lawrence Hinkle II, legal representative of the hip-hop producer and “We Don’t Trust You” artist, dismissed the accusations, which surfaced in a civil suit filed Tuesday in Los County Superior Court Angeles. “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 complaint for malicious prosecution once he is successful in his case.
Metro Boomin’s accuser, Vanessa LeMaistre, is a Los Angeles resident who says she met the rap star through a friend during a weekend in Las Vegas in the spring of 2016, according to the complaint. 17 pages. A few months before the trip, in February 2016, LeMaistre lost his 9-month-old son “to a rare and fatal illness.”
The relationship between LeMaistre and Metro Boomin began as amicable, according to the suit. After the Las Vegas trip, LeMaistre was invited to the musician’s recording studio in California to watch him work. “She was happy to have the opportunity to watch him work … because music allowed her to escape the pain she felt after losing her son,” the lawsuit states. In September 2016, Metro Boomin allegedly invited LeMaistre to her studio again, where, according to the suit, she experienced “the second worst thing that ever happened to her.”
Upon arriving at the recording studio, the suit alleges, LeMaistre was “immediately” given a glass of alcohol. She also ingested “half a Xanax bar” to ease her anxiety over her son’s death. Metro Boomin and LeMaistre became friends over personal losses – the musician at the time had ended a long-term relationship. After the conversation, Metro Boomin returned to the studio and LeMaistre lost consciousness, the complaint states.
LeMaistre alleges that when she came to, she was on a bed with the Grammy-nominated producer on top of her and did not know where she was. She lost consciousness another time and reportedly 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 undoubtedly constitutes rape and sexual assault,” the lawsuit adds.
A few hours later, LeMaistre woke up again and was informed that she and Metro Boomin were in a hotel room in Beverly Hills. She didn’t know how they got to the hotel and was told to gather her things. A few weeks after the alleged incident, LeMaistre learned she was pregnant and was certain it was the result of the rape, according to the suit. 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, contained lyrics about a woman ingesting Xanax and passing out, which horrified LeMaistre and “caused additional trauma” , according to the lawsuit.
The complaint also accuses Metro Boomin of “excessive consumption of codeine,” which allegedly made his behavior “much less predictable.”
“LeMaistre is still working to get back on her feet after experiencing such extraordinary trauma at the hands of Wayne – someone she truly believed to be her friend but who turned out to be her worst nightmare,” the lawsuit states.
LeMaistre is suing, among other things, for assault and battery and sexual violence. She is seeking an unspecified amount in damages for “severe emotional distress,” compensatory damages and legal fees. She is also seeking a jury trial.
“Metro Boomin has built a successful career on lyrics and social media that are not only offensive but also explicitly outline his intentions to harm women,” Michael J. Willemin, LeMaistre’s lawyer, said in a statement Wednesday. at the Times. “These are more than just words, and it is time for him to answer for his manipulative tactics and unacceptable behavior.”
He added: “Making defamatory statements is not going to help Metro Boomin’s cause and we look forward to proving Ms. LeMaistre’s allegations in court and potentially before a jury.”