New Lawsuit Claims West Drugged, Assaulted Ex-Assist During Combs Studio Session: What We Know

Kanye West, now known as Ye, is facing new allegations from his former assistant, Lauren Pisciotta, who previously sued him in June for sexual harassment and wrongful termination.

In an amended complaint filed Oct. 8 and obtained by multiple media outlets, Pisciotta, who worked for West from 2021 to 2022, claims the rapper drugged and sexually assaulted her during a studio session co-hosted by Sean ” Diddy » Combs. Combs, who faces separate charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, is named in Pisciotta’s complaint but is not accused of wrongdoing in her case.

Representatives for West did not respond to requests for comment from Yahoo Entertainment.

These latest accusations add to a growing list of legal issues the rapper has faced in recent years. Here’s what we know so far about the new allegations — and a summary of some of the other lawsuits the rapper is currently facing.

👀 The latest allegations

According to the amended lawsuit filed in Los Angeles, Pisciotta alleges that she and her former artist management client, who is not named in the lawsuit, were invited to a studio session hosted by West and Combs in Santa Monica , in California.

The complaint does not specify when exactly this alleged gathering took place. During the session, Pisciotta alleges that “drinks were served to him and others in attendance” and it was announced that “everyone had to drink if they wanted to stay,” according to the complaint.

While drinking, Pisciotta alleges in her complaint that she “suddenly began to feel disoriented” and felt “less in control of her body and speech.” She woke up the next morning with little memory of what had happened, “feeling physically ill and confused.”

For years, Pisciotta believed she had been drugged and embarrassed herself at a work event. Years later, however, the lawsuit alleges that West brought up that night, admitting that they “kind of connected” that evening.

Pisciotta claims their conversation led her to realize she had been sexually assaulted by West while she was incapacitated that night during the studio session. She decided to stop working for the rapper, but according to the complaint, she had to be “extremely cautious” in her approach, fearing she would be “silenced, blacklisted, and subjected to retaliation” from the from West and others in the music industry. Pisciotta was reportedly fired shortly afterward.

The former aide did not accuse Combs of any wrongdoing in the complaint, although he now faces unrelated charges including sex trafficking and racketeering.

🧑‍⚖️ The previous trial

In Pisciotta’s original lawsuit, she claimed West hired her in July 2021 as an executive assistant with a promised salary of $1 million, requiring her to be on call 24/7 . Pisciotta previously worked on the rapper’s Yeezy Season 1 women’s fashion line, in 2015, and on his 2021 album. Donda.

The year before West hired her, Pisciotta claimed she made $1 million creating content on OnlyFans and social media posts, which West supported. However, in August 2022, he allegedly asked her to delete the account in exchange for $1 million — a promise Pisciotta said he never kept.

Pisciotta claimed West promoted her to chief of staff in September 2022, with a bonus offer of $3 million. She was fired the following month and claims she was never paid.

She is now filing a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, breach of contract, wrongful termination and creating a hostile work environment, seeking at least $4 million in damages.

📲 Vulgar texts and intimate photos

Pisciotta’s lawsuit alleges that West sent vulgar texts, including graphic sexual fantasies, as well as intimate photos of other male and female Yeezy employees.

“See, my problem is that I want to fuck, but after I fuck, I want a girl to tell me how good they were fucked while I fuck them. Then I want her to cheat on me,” one of the alleged messages read, according to Page Six.

Pisciotta further claims that West sent her photos and videos of him having sex with models and masturbating during phone calls with her and on a flight to Paris, according to Rolling Stone. Pisciotta also accuses West of having an “obsession” with her, allegedly moving into her building and stalking her after she was fired. She also said he became angry when she rejected his advances to date or have sex.

❌ West calls allegations ‘baseless’

Although West has yet to publicly respond to Pisciotta’s amended complaint, her lawyers previously called her initial allegations “baseless,” telling Page Six in June that the model pursued West “sexually to coerce employment and d ‘other material advantages’.

His lawyers further claimed that Pisciotta blackmailed the rapper when “his advances were rejected,” accusing him of stealing his phone to “destroy phone records that contradicted his claims.”

“Such behavior is completely inconsistent with someone who claims to have been sexually harassed or experienced a hostile work environment,” West’s lawyers told the Los Angeles Times. “It is evident that Ms. Pisciotta leveraged her association with Ye and his business, as well as her proximity to him, to seek material gain, influence and employment through improper means.”

The statement added: “Her first attempt to sue for illegal dismissal received no media attention, leading her to fabricate headlines following threats of blackmail and extortion. »

⚖️ A summary of West’s other legal problems

West’s legal team has been busy handling a series of lawsuits over the past two years. They include:

• April 2024: Benjamin Deshon Pravo, a security guard at Donda Academy, an unaccredited Christian private school founded by West in 2022, was sued for racial discrimination, claiming the rapper favored white employees and fired him for refusing to cut his dreadlocks. That same month, Trevor Phillips, a former Donda Academy and Yeezy employee, filed a lawsuit over West’s alleged discriminatory and anti-Semitic behavior.

• February 2024: West claimed Adidas was suing him for $250 million, although no public lawsuit has surfaced. Adidas filed a claim in private arbitration over his offensive public statements, alleging a breakdown in their partnership.

• September 2023: Tony Saxon, former caretaker and security guard at West’s Malibu mansion, has been sued for $1 million, alleging unsafe working conditions and unpaid wages.

• June 2023: Paparazzo Nichol Lechmanik sued West for throwing his phone into traffic, alleging assault, battery and negligence.

• May 2023: Gap Inc. sued West for $2 million over the end of their partnership with Yeezy, accusing West of failing to meet his contractual obligations.

• April 2023: Teachers Cecilia Hailey and Chekarey Byers sued Donda Academy, alleging health, safety and educational violations. They claimed the school failed to provide essential services and was not complying with state regulations. A third teacher, Timanii Meeks, later joined the chase.

Read more: A look at the many trials facing the West.