Migos member Takeoff has been accused of nonconsensual “forceful sexual intercourse,” according to a civil lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on Wednesday. A woman identified only as “Jane Doe” alleges that the rapper, whose legal name is Kirshnik Khari Ball, raped her during an Encino, Calif., house party on June 22 of this year. She attended with plans to meet fellow group member Daryl McPherson, also known as DJ Durel, for a date, having met him at a prior party and subsequently communicating with him on social media.
As reported by Rolling Stone (which has also embedded the legal filing in full), Jane Doe recalled the incident as follows (Trigger warning: the following recounts an alleged sexual assault in graphic detail):
Upon arriving at the house on June 22nd, Ball allegedly made repeated advances toward the woman that made her “uncomfortable,” according to the suit. After telling McPherson she had “no desire to engage in any sort of intimate relationship with Defendant Takeoff,” McPherson “offered to take Plaintiff upstairs to Durel’s room,” she claims.
On the way, the suit alleges that McPherson and Ball passed each other on the staircase and got into a verbal confrontation; the woman continued up to McPherson’s room. Soon after, the bedroom door opened and Ball entered.
“Plaintiff clearly and unequivocally refused Defendant Takeoff’s advances and stated to Defendant Takeoff that she did not want to have sex with him,” the lawsuit claims.
“Notwithstanding Plaintiff’s express refusal, Defendant Takeoff grabbed Plaintiff, flipped her over face-down, and pulled down her clothing. Defendant Takeoff then proceeded to have forceful sexual intercourse with Plaintiff from behind, without Plaintiff’s consent. After Defendant Takeoff finished raping Plaintiff, he immediately left the room. After recovering from the initial shock of what had transpired, Plaintiff promptly walked out of the bedroom and immediately left.”
The lawsuit also states that following the alleged assault, which Jane Doe reports occurred shortly after 2 a.m., the woman visited the hospital the following morning, “where hospital staff observed physical evidence of forceful rape and notified the Los Angeles Police Department of the same.”
The LAPD confirmed to the New York Times that there is an open investigation into the incident, but criminal charges have yet to be filed, compelling Jane Doe’s attorney, Neama Rahmani to preemptively file a civil lawsuit due to what he termed “lost confidence” in the LAPD’s investigation. According to Rolling Stone, “the civil lawsuit accuses Ball of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, inflicting emotional distress, gender violence and a pair of civil rights violations.”
“We hope that…the media attention will motivate the Los Angeles Police Department to pursue the criminal investigation more aggressively,” Rahmani said in a statement. “Justice delayed is justice denied, and continues to victimize a [woman] who has already been victimized by the rich and famous.”
Ball’s legal counsel Drew Findling contends that his client is being railroaded by the accusations, and makes the counter-claim that Jane Doe’s lawsuit is an “exploitative money grab,” saying in a statement:
We have reviewed the allegations and have similarly done our own due diligence. What has become abundantly clear is that the allegations made against Mr. Ball are patently and provably false...The claims and statements made regarding this lawsuit indicate that the plaintiffs’ representatives have not spoken with relevant witnesses or reviewed available evidence. Mr. Ball is renowned for his artistic talent as well as his quiet, reserved and peaceful personality. In this instance, those known personality traits have made him a target of an obvious, exploitative money grab. As his counsel, we are well aware and well versed on the importance of civil and criminal prosecution of true sexual assaults. This is not one of those situations.
The Root will be following this lawsuit as it develops.
If you or anyone you know is a victim of sexual assault or misconduct, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN) at 800.656.HOPE (4673) to be connected to a local affiliate that can provide support and assistance.