Soulja Boy has spoken out against being found liable for raping a woman and being ordered to pay her a $4 million settlement.
The “Crank That” rapper was accused by an anonymous plaintiff of assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress with a jury ultimately believing her testimony.
After the verdict was delivered, Soulja Boy spoke out against the trial, firstly how he has suffered financially.
He said to Courtroom News Service: “This trial has taken a lot of my money. As far as lawyer bills. This whole trial’s been real costly,” as he detailed that he had lost out on multiple career opportunities as a result of the lawsuit.
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Soulja Boy then reaffirmed his innocence: “I want to make it clear that I’m innocent. I am committed to filing an appeal and fighting for the truth to be revealed.”
He also slammed the fact the accuser was allowed to stay anonymous throughout the entire trial: “Keeping these individuals anonymous while I’m forced to face public scrutiny creates an unequal playing field. I believe this entire process has been tainted by a system that is not designed to protect the rights of the accused.”
Soulja Boy’s lawyer also said in a statement: “We maintain that the evidence does not support the verdict. It is unfortunate that aspersions and misperceptions of a culture were allowed to influence the trial. Mr. Way fully intends to pursue his post-trial remedies and to fight for a just result in this case.”
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The plaintiff’s attorney, Ron Zambrano, said during closing arguments that his client deserves to be awarded $73.6 million over the alleged trauma that she endured.
“He raped her. He punched her. He kicked her. He cut her. He pointed a Draco gun at her. He locked her in her room … He told her, ‘I hope you die slow,’” Zambrano told the jury.
He added: “If you don’t believe my client, don’t give her a dollar. But if you do believe her, give her everything.”
Zambrano also criticized Soulja Boy’s attire while attending court: “It was an act, a four-week act with glasses and a suit. The act you’re being asked to buy, unfortunately, my client did buy it. It’s why she went back.
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“I ask that you don’t fall for the man sitting over there with fake glasses on trying to convince you he’s incapable of the bruises you’ve seen, the cuts you’ve seen, the text messages he sent.”
