Metro Boomin Accused of Rape in Lawsuit

Metro Boomin has been sued for sexual assault. A 38-year-old woman named Vanessa LeMaistre filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County on Tuesday, October 29 against the hip-hop producer, whose legal name is Leland Tyler Wayne.

Court documents obtained by TMZ lay out the events that allegedly transpired after LeMaistre met Wayne in Las Vegas in the spring of 2016 – not long after the death of her 9-month-old son. “When Wayne invited Ms. LeMaistre to visit him at recording studios in California, where she lived, she was happy for the opportunity to watch him work because she was passionate about music, but more importantly because music provided an escape from the pain she was in after losing her son,” the fsuit reads. “Devastatingly, however, meeting Wayne resulted in Ms. LeMaistre suffering from the second worst thing that ever happened to her — being raped by someone who pretended to be her friend for months.”

LeMaistre claims to have visited Wayne’s studio several times over the course of their friendship. During one of those visits in September 2016, LeMaistre had taken half of a Xanax pill, which she used to cope with the grief of her son, and was “immediately given a shot of alcohol.” LeMaistre says that she lost consciousness and “woke up on a bed with Wayne on top of her.” She alleges that she “lost consciousness again and woke up at some point later to Wayne performing oral sex on her.”

“At no point during this encounter was Ms. LeMaistre able to consent to any sexual activity, and Wayne’s conduct without question constituted rape and sexual assault,” the filing reads. It also points to lyrics from ‘Rap Saved Me’, Metro Boomin’s 2017 collaboration with 21 Savage, Offset, and Quavo, which include the lines: “She took a Xanny, then she fainted/ I’m from the gutter, ain’t no changing/ From the gutter, rap saved me/ She drive me crazy, have my baby.”

A few weeks later, LeMaistre discovered she was pregnant. She chose to terminate the pregnancy in November 2016.

Responding to the allegations (via TMZ), Metro Boomin’s attorney, Lawrence C. Hinkle II, wrote: “This is a pure shakedown. These are false accusations. Mr. Wayne refused to pay her months ago, and he refuses to pay her now. Mr. Wayne will defend himself in court. He will file a claim for malicious prosecution once he prevails.”

LeMaistre’s attorneys, Michael J. Willemin and Monica Hincken, and Omar H. Bengali and Robert J. Girard II, said in their own statement: “Metro Boomin has built a successful career with lyrics and social media that are not only offensive but also explicitly outline his intentions to harm women. These are more than mere words, and it’s time for him to be held accountable for his manipulative tactics and unacceptable behavior.”