FKA Twigs’ Lawsuit Against Ex-Boyfriend Shia LaBeouf Gets Trial Date

Noah Janowski May 3rd, 2022 - 11:15 AM

R&B/Pop singer FKA Twigs has received a trial date for her complaint against ex-boyfriend, actor Shia LaBeouf, whom she accused of alleged sexual battery, alleged assault, and alleged intentional infliction of emotional distress. According to Rolling Stone, the trial will be on April 17th, 2023.

Twigs, whose legal name is Tahliah Barnett, was in a year-long relationship with LaBeouf that began after they made the 2018 film Honey Boy, according to Stereogum. In her lawsuit, Barnett claimed that LaBeouf allegedly threw her to the ground outside a hotel they’d visited for Valentine’s Day. She also said he’d allegedly removed his seatbelt and drove “maniacally,” allegedly threatening “to crash the car unless Tahliah professed her eternal love for him.”

Twigs’ lawyer, Bryan Freedman, released a statement to Rolling Stone, in which he accuses LaBeouf of “gaslighting.”

“The gaslighting has gone on long enough here and it’s time to hold Shia LaBeouf accountable,” Freedman told Rolling Stone. “My client wants a trial date.”

According to Stereogum, the lawsuit alleges that LaBeouf earned her trust with “over-the-top displays of affection.” The suit also says LaBeouf allegedly began to exhibit controlling behavior. He allegedly didn’t like it if she spoke to or looked at other men, including waiters, and he allegedly had rules about how many times a day she had to kiss and touch him. The suit also alleges that LaBeouf didn’t let her wear clothing to bed and allegedly turned small disagreements into all-night fights and allegedly kept a loaded firearm by the bed, which allegedly frightened Twigs.

LaBeouf denied Barnett’s allegations in a February 2021 statement, according to Stereogum, writing via his lawyers that he denied inflicting “any injury or loss” on Barnett and that she is not “entitled to any relief or damages whatsoever.”

In a statement to the New York Times, he also wrote: “I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations. I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years. I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I’m ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt. There is nothing else I can really say.”

Photo Credit: Owen Ela