Ye, the musician who was formerly known as Kanye West, is facing sexual assault charges in a complaint alleging that he jammed his fingers in a model’s mouth during a 2010 music video and choked her, a practice known as pornographic gagging.
A federal lawsuit filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York claims that the incident happened at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City.
According to the lawsuit, the model, Jenifer An, was a background actor for a music video in which Ye appeared as a guest star.
On Saturday, NBC News contacted a New York City Police Department and Ye spokesman for comment.
According to the lawsuit, Ye took over the production and the production team a few hours into the video shoot.
In particular, he directed Plaintiff and the other female background actors/models to form a line in the hallway. According to the claim, he assessed each woman’s looks, indicated two of them, and then gave them instructions to accompany him.
Ye allegedly said, “Give me the Asian girl,” while pointing toward An, according to the lawsuit.
Despite feeling uneasy, An accompanied him to a suite that included a couch and a camera, according to the report.
The production crew was subsequently instructed by Defendant West to begin playing the playback music. But according to the lawsuit, Defendant West rambled, “Rawr, rawr, rawr,” because he was unaware of his assigned lyrics. After bringing two chairs close to the camera and placing them opposite one another, Defendant West told Plaintiff to take a seat in the chair facing the camera.
According to the lawsuit, Ye choked the plaintiff with one hand while standing taller than An and panting.
According to the report, he proceeded to strangle her with both hands after putting his other hand around her neck. Defendant West then used both hands to smother Plaintiff’s face, smearing her makeup. Then, to simulate forced oral sex, he gagged her while jamming multiple fingers down her mouth and repeatedly moving them in and out.
This is art, the rapper allegedly yelled. This work is f—–g. The lawsuit claims that I am similar to Picasso. It charges him with sexually abusing An in a way akin to deep throat, gagging, or BDSM inclinations.
According to the lawsuit, An had trouble breathing and thought she had momentarily lost consciousness. It claims that An’s face was covered in smudged makeup and spit after West finished.
The lawsuit also names Universal Music Group as a defendant and accuses them of not looking into the incident. A request for comment on Saturday was not immediately answered by the corporation.
Numerous recent lawsuits have focused on the rapper, including one that was amended last month by a former aide who accused him of sex assault and sex trafficking. The complaint received no response from his representative.
An, a previous finalist on the television competition show America’s Next Top Model, stated that she wants her case to make the world a better place for us and upcoming artists, and that she aims to hold the abusers accountable through the judicial system.
She stated in a statement that women in the entertainment and music sectors have endured years of sexual abuse with no way to speak out or bring about change. For women, this area is perilous. In the realm of entertainment, we are simply objects. By putting us in oppressive power dynamics, the industries have prospered.
An’s lawyer, Jesse S. Weinstein, stated that he was unable to divulge any information beyond what was contained in the lawsuit.
According to a news release from Weinstein, “We are honored and privileged to represent Ms. An, who has shown great courage to speak out against some of the most powerful men and entities within the entertainment industry.” Everyone has a voice, and West’s fame and success do not absolve him of responsibility.
An is suing Ye for both punitive and compensatory damages.
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