Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images
Kanye West Settles Battery Lawsuit With Man Who Claims He Was Disfigured And Humiliated by Musician
The man who sued Kanye West over an alleged attack outside SoHo Warehouse in Downtown L.A. dropped the suit after the musician agreed to a settlement, In Touch can exclusively report.
According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Justin Poplawski, an autograph seeker, informed the court that the settlement covers the entire case.
The agreement between Justin and Ye, 47, was reached on September 11. Back in February, Justin sued Ye for assault and battery in Los Angeles Superior Court.
He claimed that he is a well-known autograph dealer who had previously obtained Ye’s autograph without any issues.
The suit said on January 13, 2022, Justin waited outside Soho Warehouse for Ye.
He said Ye started screaming at him when he was leaving the building. Justin claimed Ye told him, “I’m going to make a f–king example out of you.”
The suit accused Ye of telling the man, “Get the f–k [out of] here before I beat you the f–k up. I’m going to make a f–king example out of you.”
Justin said Ye then struck him in the face before asking him “So do you want to get attacked for real?”
Justin said he asked Ye to apologize but the musician scoffed at him.
The suit accused Ye of striking Justin several times after he refused to apologize at the scene.
Justin’s lawyer claimed Ye “did physically assault, harm, batter, and injure [Justin], with the intent of committing such assault, harm, battery and injury, when, without limitation, [Ye] unlawfully and intentionally struck [Justin]; physically and violently attacked and battered [Justin]; and repeatedly struck [Justin] while [Justin] was defenseless and in fear for his safety causing [Justin] to sustain damages.” Justin said he was “severely” injured by Ye’s alleged assault.
His lawyer said Justin suffered, “Past and future non-economic damages, including: physical pain, mental suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, physical impairment, inconvenience, grief, anxiety, humiliation, and severe emotional distress.”
The autograph seeker sued, seeking unspecified damages for his medical bills and the emotional trauma he suffered.
Ye denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
He argued that his actions were done to protect himself. His lawyer at the time argued, “[Ye] is informed and believes, and based on such information and belief, alleges that [Ye] was justified in doing any and/or all of the acts alleged in the Complaint.”
[Ye’s] lawyer said, “All of the purported causes of action in the Complaint are barred to the extent [Ye] acted in defense of himself and/or others.” The attorney also argued, “[Ye] acted reasonably and in good faith at all times material herein, based on all relevant facts and circumstances known to [Ye] at the time [Ye] so acted.”
A couple of weeks later, Ye was dropped by his lawyer, Brian Brumfield, in the assault lawsuit and several other pending cases filed against him.
Brian told the court, “Defendant, Kanye West, terminated relationship on 6/21/2024. [Ye] also will not speak to counsel and [Ye] refuses to pay counsel as well.” The judge signed off on the request weeks before the settlement was revealed.
Ye has yet to inform the court that he has hired a new lawyer to represent him in the cases.
The rapper and his wife, Bianca Censori, were spotted in Japan this week. As In Touch first reported, Ye blew off a separate $2 million court battle earlier this month.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. In Touch Weekly does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
