Kanye West is being sued for assault and battery by the man he allegedly punched outside a members-only club in downtown Los Angeles in January 2022.
TMZ reports that the plaintiff – an autograph dealer who got into a confrontation with West outside the Soho House – alleged in court documents that West went haywire on him during the altercation.
He claimed West, 46, shouted ‘I’m going to make a f***ing example of you’, brought up his split from Kim Kardashian, and then struck him.
He claims he asked West to apologize, which the rapper shut down by allegedly replying, ‘Apology for what?’
The artist then allegedly hit the fan several more times, ‘severely injuring him’ in the process.
Kanye West is being sued for assault and battery by the man he allegedly struck outside a members-only club in downtown Los Angeles in January 2022; pictured 2020
Kanye was allegedly asked to stop hitting the man by a person with him, but the rapper instead began yelling at them and instructed them to ‘go to the f***ing house and get my f***ing kids.’
The autograph seeker claims he is a victim of assault and battery and has endured emotional distress. He is suing Kanye for damages.
In addition, the man’s wife is also suing West for loss of consortium.
West was investigated for criminal battery over the incident but ultimately no charges were filed.
Shortly after the altercation, West admitted he did punch the autograph seeker in an interview with Hollywood Unlocked’s Jason Lee.
West said he was outside the Soho Warehouse at 3 a.m. when a man who had been tailing him in recent days for autographs allegedly provoked him.
‘I’m saying, ”You don’t know what I’m dealing with right now,” West said, referring to footage of him snapping at the unidentified man.
‘I just finished these two songs, I came from the studio, and this dude, he just had this real attitude, like, ”What you gonna do? And see that?”
‘Imma just tell you, that blue COVID mask ain’t stop that knockout, you know what I’m saying?’
TMZ reports that the plaintiff – an autograph seeker who got into a confrontation with West outside the Soho House – alleged in court documents that West went haywire on him during the altercation; West pictured in 2019
He added that he was upset at the time with Kim Kardashian, who filed for a divorce and was dating Pete Davidson at the time, and at a cousin who failed to tell Kardashian that he wanted to visit one of their children at school.
‘Security ain’t gonna get in between me and my children. And my children aren’t gonna be on TikTok without my permission,’ Kanye said as he reiterated his message to Kardashian.
He also mentioned he was upset at her budding romance with Davidson.
‘How are you going to blame me for acting out and kiss the dude your dating right in front of me. Everyone’s like, ‘that’s cool,’ and I’m hearing that the new boyfriend is in the house that I can’t even go to.’
West claims the man he punched was not a fan of his, but someone trying to make money by selling off autographs he got from the rapper.
‘This is the same as the paparazzi, this is not a fan. This is someone who is using your image, who probably never listened to your songs.’
West was seen yelling at a cousin (left) after allegedly punching the autograph seeker (R) and knocking him down during the January 2022 incident
West pictured March 2022
Dramatic footage of the aftermath of the incident shows West screaming, ‘Get away from me’ at his cousin, who was trying to calm him down while the autograph seeker lay on the floor, clutching his head in pain.
Witnesses told TMZ at the time that West punched the man once in the head and once in the neck, striking him down and causing the fan to hit his head on the sidewalk.
His cousin could be heard telling the rapper, ‘I am your family,’ as she tried to take his hand and get him to relax.
‘No, get away from me! Ain’t no hands, ain’t no hands,’ West yells.
‘You were supposed to talk with her,’ he adds, now revealing that he was angry at his cousin for not telling his then-estranged wife that he wanted to visit their child at school.
He ultimately blamed his cousin for his bad mood that caused him to erupt in anger following the altercation, which was caught on video by confused bystanders.
He said he ultimately admitted to the attack because he was tired of the media’s portrayal of the incident and wanted to take control of the narrative.
‘This is from the horse’s mouth. I told you all before, y’all are not fit to be in charge of my narrative,’ West told Lee.
‘I told you before, I am taking my narrative. I am writing my narrative. Why don’t you all go do something, you know what I mean, other than trying to bring somebody down.’