Ye accused of drugging, sexually assaulting ex-assistant at Diddy session
Ye is facing new allegations from his former assistant, who claims he drugged and sexually assaulted her.
In an amended complaint filed in California and obtained by USA TODAY, Kanye West's former assistant Lauren Pisciotta alleged the rapper "touched, groped, fondled, grabbed and forced himself in and on" her on multiple occasions without her consent. The latest filing came after Pisciotta previously sued Ye for sexual harassment, wrongful termination and breach of contract earlier this year.
USA TODAY has reached out to a representative for Ye for comment.
In a statement provided to Rolling Stone in June, a legal representative for the rapper accused Pisciotta of "blackmail and extortion" and claimed she was "terminated for being unqualified, demanding unreasonable sums of money (including a $4 million annual salary) and numerous documented incidents of her lascivious, unhinged conduct," adding that Pisciotta "consistently used sexual coercion in an attempt to demand not only money but material items."
In the filing, Pisciotta detailed one incident of alleged sexual assault she said occurred before she started working for Ye, when the rapper invited her to attend a studio session he co-hosted with Sean "Diddy" Combs. The complaint alleged Pisciotta was served with a drink laced with an unidentified drug, which caused her to slip into a "heavily impaired state." Pisciotta said she woke up the next day with no memory of what happened.
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According to the complaint, Pisciotta initially had "no reason to believe she was touched inappropriately or sexually assaulted," and she did not suspect that Ye had drugged her. However, she alleged that years later, Ye mentioned to her that they "hooked up" that evening, leading her to realize she was "in fact drugged and sexually assaulted" by him.
"She could not stomach the fact that she worked for the man who had sexually assaulted her against her will while she was drugged, who then successfully lured her back into his orbit by way of a job opportunity to sexually assault her all over again," the complaint said, adding that Pisciotta feared Ye would retaliate against her if she spoke up.
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In another incident alleged to have occurred during a work trip in July 2021, Pisciotta claimed Ye forced his way into her hotel room, saying he needed to use her shower because his wasn't working. Once inside, the rapper allegedly approached Pisciotta, dropped his towel, and "aggressively moved and pushed (Pisciotta) from the chair she was sitting in over to the bed and pushed her down." He then "attempted to forcefully thrust his naked body onto and penis into (Pisciotta's) face" while she pleaded with him to stop, the complaint alleged.
"(Pisciotta) was very clearly unwilling, non-consenting and visually upset at Kanye West a.k.a Ye for the battery, gender violence and sexual assault," the lawsuit said.
Pisciotta also accused Ye of subjecting her to "constant" sexual harassment throughout her employment, despite her making clear she was not interested in him, and provided numerous sexually explicit text messages allegedly sent by the rapper as evidence. Being forced to dodge his "unwanted sexual advances, sexual assault, continuous sexual harassment," and the revelation that Ye allegedly "sexually assaulted her while she was drugged" led Pisciotta to suffer from "severe anxiety, depression and overwhelming PTSD," the lawsuit said. Pisciotta alleged Ye wrongfully terminated her in 2022 in "retaliation for her complaints and refusal to have sex with" him.
This was the latest legal issue for Ye, who last week faced a lawsuit from a former employee who accused him of infliction of emotional distress, labor code violations and retaliation. That lawsuit claimed the former employee was asked to investigate Ye's ex-wife Kim Kardashian and hire private investigators to spy on his spouse Bianca Censori. It additionally alleged that Ye threatened to kill the former employee, identified as John Doe.
"Our client is so fearful of Ye and his erratic, disturbing and unpredictable behavior that he wishes to remain anonymous for his own safety," Doe's attorneys said. "It's not only illegal but unconscionable that an employer would threaten any employee with bodily harm or death."
Contributing: Edward Segarra, USA TODAY