Megaproducer Metro Boomin is being accused of sexual assault, according to a new lawsuit.
On Tuesday, Vanessa LeMaistre, 38, filed a lawsuit against the Atlanta artist (whose real name is Leland Wayne) in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. She accuses him of sexual battery. Wayne has denied the allegations via his attorney.
LeMaistre is seeking a jury trial and damages related to events she says transpired after meeting the hitmaker in Las Vegas in the spring of 2016. During that time, LeMaistre, a Los Angeles resident, was mourning the loss of her 9-month-old son, Kamden. He died earlier that year from a rare and fatal disease, according to the suit. The suit says she formed a friendship with Wayne, 31, who invited her to his Los Angeles recording studio in September 2016.
“Under the guise of friendship and a shared love of music, Wayne gained Ms. LeMaistre’s trust as she shared her grief over her son’s death,” the suit says. “Ms. LeMaistre believed that they had bonded over the ability of music to help people in their darkest moments.”
Upon arrival to the studio, LeMaistre said in the suit that she was given a shot of alcohol. She also took half a Xanax, which helped her cope with her son’s death. She says she and Wayne talked about their respective bouts of depression (the suit states Wayne had recently broken up with his longtime girlfriend). LeMaistre watched Wayne work in the studio and lost consciousness, the filing states. She alleges in the suit that she woke up in a different location (Wayne later told her it was a hotel in Beverly Hills, per the suit) to Wayne allegedly sexually assaulting her. In the filing, LeMaistre said she was “completely unable to move or make a sound,” as she drifted in and out of consciousness. She says she never gave consent.
Wayne later told her to get her belongings. He put her in a car, which dropped her off at the Los Angeles studio, according to the suit. Weeks later, LeMaistre found out she was pregnant and had an abortion — linking the pregnancy to the alleged incident. She added that she didn’t have sex with anyone else at the time.
Credit: Robb D. Cohen/ RobbsPhotos.com
Credit: Robb D. Cohen/ RobbsPhotos.com
Lyrics from a song produced by Wayne, and including fellow Atlanta artists 21 Savage, Offset and Quavo, are cited in the suit.
Wayne produced the song “Rap Saved Me,” a 2017 track that includes the lyrics: “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.”
Although Wayne is only a producer of the song and doesn’t rap the lyrics (21 Savage does), they were “horrifying for Ms. LeMaistre to hear over and over again,” the filing says. She described Wayne as someone she “truly believed to be her friend but turned out to be her worst nightmare.”
In a statement sent to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Wayne’s lawyer Lawrence C. Hinkle II has denied all claims.
“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.”
In response, Michael Willemin, one of LeMaistre’s attorneys, said the following in an email to the AJC:
“Making defamatory remarks is not going to help Metro Boomin’s cause and we look forward to proving Ms. LeMaistre’s claims in court and ultimately before a jury.”
“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.”
Wayne is one of the most in-demand producers in music. The St. Louis-born artist later moved to Atlanta, where he attended Morehouse College and began reaching new heights within the city’s music scene and beyond. He’s collaborated with Future, The Weeknd, Kanye West, Drake and Travis Scott. Earlier this year, he was nominated for two Grammy Awards, including producer of the year, nonclassical.
This spring, he and Future dropped two joint albums: “We Don’t Trust You,” and “We Still Don’t Trust You.” Both debuted at No. 1. The former LP found the artist at the center of an epic rap beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar.
During that time, Wayne’s old social media posts resurfaced (most of which have since been deleted), which the suit points to as evidence of his “flippant attitude toward sexual assault and drugging women.”
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