FKA Twigs has dropped her assault and sexual battery lawsuit against her former boyfriend Shia LaBeouf.
The singer-songwriter – real name Tahliah Barnett – first filed the suit in 2020, accusing the Transformers actor of physical and verbal abuse, sexual battery and emotional distress. She claimed that he was a danger to women and had slammed her into a car, tried to strangle her and knowingly gave her a sexually transmitted disease.
Now, however, she has agreed to drop the lawsuit, filing a request to dismiss the complaint with prejudice, meaning that she cannot refile the case in the future.
Pitchfork have reported that the attorneys Bryan J. Freedman and Shawn Holley, representing Twigs and LaBeouf respectively, said: “Committed to forging a constructive path forward, we have agreed to settle our case out of court. While the details of the settlement will remain private, we wish each other personal happiness, professional success, and peace in the future.”
FKA Twigs had been reportedly seeking $10million (£7.4million) in damages from the suit.
LaBeouf has consistently denied Twigs’ claims of abuse. His lawyers responded at the time of the suit by saying he did not cause her harm, and the actor has said he denied “each and every allegation” raised against him.
The trial had originally been set for November 2023, before being postponed until October 2024. Twigs’ lawyers then accused LaBeouf of evading them and “abusing” the legal process.
In response, LaBeouf’s legal team said: “This dispute concerns whose deposition is to proceed first and nothing more. Ms. Barnett’s counsels’ attempt to turn a very simple issue into something sinister is unfortunate.”
Twigs released her third studio album ‘EUSEXUA’ in January, which NME awarded five stars, noting: “Twigs has successfully shown that the connection of music, movement, mind, soul and body can be converted into sound, weaving these elements into a cohesive and transcendent artistic experience. She brings her own assured sense of creativity and spirituality and combines it with her ability to materialise the intangible. As the album’s closing track says, “You’ve one life to live, do it freely”. What better note to leave it on?”
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
