FKA twigs sues Shia LaBeouf alleging sexual battery, assault and emotional distress

FKA twigs is suing her ex-partner Shia LaBeouf for what she says was a “relentless” abusive relationship.

In an interview with the The New York Times, who first reported the lawsuit, the British artist, real name Tahliah Barnett, says the purpose of the lawsuit was “to raise awareness on the tactics that abusers use to control you and take away your agency.”

The suit, which also includes claims from another ex-girlfriend of LaBeouf’s, alleges a constant pattern of abuse, from emotional manipulation to threats and sexual battery.

Among the allegations outlined by The New York Times are an incident where LaBeouf threatened to crash his car unless Barnett professed her love for him, an incident at a gas station where he threw her against his car and a time when he knowingly gave her a sexually transmitted infection. He also set strict rules for how often she had to kiss or touch him, “enforced with constant haranguing and criticism,” according to The New York Times.

LaBeouf, an American actor and filmmaker who met Barnett on the set of Honey Boy in 2018—a film he wrote and she starred in—has a history of conflict and abuse allegations.

In a statement released to The New York Times on Thursday before the lawsuit was filed, LaBeouf said, “I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations. I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years. I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I’m ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt.”

LaBeouf also went on to deny some of the allegations, though did not specify which ones were “not true.”

Barnett also tells The New York Times that she was “brushed off” by a colleague she went to her for help. “I just thought to myself, no one is ever going to believe me,” she said. “I’m unconventional. And I’m a person of color who is a female.”

“What I went through with Shia was the worst thing I’ve ever been through in the whole of my life,” Barnett said. “I don’t think people would ever think that it would happen to me. But I think that’s the thing. It can happen to anybody.”

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, the following resources are available:

National Domestic Abuse Hotline (UK): 0808 2000 247