Soulja Boy has accepted one loss in order to avoid another — but the L he’s copping to is a lot more substantial than the one he’s trying to avoid.
The rapper (real name DeAndre Cortez Way) certainly brags a lot about all the money he makes and has made — but despite these claims, he doesn’t own the home he lives in, and he has a debt to the IRS totaling more than $1million, according to Radar Online.
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What’s more, the “Crank That” rapper admits that his assets are limited: he owns three cars (two worth $250,000 each, and one worth $100,000), has about $18,000 worth of jewelry, and $50,000 worth of stock.
His attorney admitted to the Santa Monica Superior Court on Thursday (July 13) that Soulja Boy couldn’t liquidate his assets because “they are in essence, tools of his trade” as an entertainer, and he has an image to maintain.
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Even if Soulja Boy were to liquidate all his assets, he couldn’t pay the $476,000 owed to his ex, Kayla Myers. For that reason, he’s petitioning the court to forgo the punitive damages awarded to her — and, failing that, to throw the whole case out and get a retrial.
The “Crank That” rapper was sued by his ex-girlfriend Kayla Myers back in 2020 for assault, battery and false imprisonment. The alleged assault and kidnapping occurred at his Malibu home and reportedly lasted for six hours.
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The SODMG founder was never criminally charged for the assault, but cops later discovered weapons in his home, which violated his probation. He denied any wrongdoing and blamed a third party for Myers’ injuries.
Later that same month, Soulja Boy was ordered to pay Myers $235,000 when the jury found in her favor.
Part of the reason the rapper-turned-Twitch streamer wants a new trial is because shortly after a jury awarded Myers $235,000, she was awarded an additional $236,000 in “punitive damages,” which is what’s awarded when a defendant is punished for what the court deems is negligence and/or malice on his/her part. In total, the judgment awarded to Myers came close to $500,000.
In response, Soulja’s attorneys filed a motion for a new trial on June 8, claiming that there were “irregularities in the proceedings of the court, jury or adverse party, or any order of the court or abuse of discretion by which either party was prevented from having a fair trial,” per Radar Online.
As of the time this story was published, that motion is still pending.
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Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Mark H. Epstein also said in a post-trial hearing that there was “no evidence presented” regarding Soulja’s income by his ex-girlfriend, Kayla Myers.
“The court is concerned that, absent at least some evidence on this point, the issue should never have gone to the jury,” the judge’s clerk wrote in an undated minute order, according to iHeartRadio.
A hearing on the matter is scheduled for July 21, and it’s possible that Soulja Boy may not have to pay punitive damages in the matter if the judge rules in his favor.
