Kanye West finds himself in legal trouble once again. This time he’s being sued by an autograph hunter who claims he was physically assaulted after approaching the artist in Downtown Los Angeles. Justin Poplawski and his wife Tiffany Marshall have filed a lawsuit in L.A. County courts, seeking damages.
On January 13, 2022, near the Soho Warehouse in DTLA, Justin Poplawski, a self-proclaimed “well-respected autograph dealer,” approached Kanye West in the hopes of obtaining an autograph. Poplawski claims that he had previously interacted with West without any issues, but this encounter took a violent turn. According to the legal documents, West allegedly shouted derogatory remarks, threatening to make an example out of Poplawski and referencing his divorce from Kim Kardashian. The situation escalated further when West allegedly physically assaulted Poplawski, causing severe injuries.
It is worth noting that Poplawski asserts he approached West while lawfully standing on public property, raising questions about the artist’s response. The lawsuit filed by Poplawski and Marshall seeks to hold Kanye West accountable for the alleged assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and loss of consortium.
The lawsuits states that Kanye is accused of “physically assault, harm, batter, and injure Poplawski, with the intent of committing such assault, harm, battery, and injury, when, without limitation, [Ye] unlawfully and intentionally struck him. Physically and violently attacked and battered him; and repeatedly struck him while he was defenseless and in fear for his safety causing Plaintiff to sustain damages,” according to the documents obtained by The Blast.
It continues, that the rapper “engaged in with a conscious disregard of the rights and safety of [the autograph seeker] and others and was despicable.”
While the exact amount of damages being sought remains undisclosed, the couple aims to obtain compensation for the physical and emotional harm they claim to have suffered as a result of the incident. Loss of consortium, a claim made by Tiffany Marshall, refers to the deprivation of companionship, affection, and support experienced by a spouse due to the injuries sustained by their partner.
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In 2022, Kanye west spoke exclusively with Hollywood Unlocked’s Jason Lee where he admitted to punching the guy. The 22-time Grammy Award winner, 44, detailed his side of the altercation.
He said at the time, “So as far as the paparazzi goes, it wasn’t a fan.” He went on to say, “It was 3 a.m. in front of the Warehouse. I’m saying, ‘You don’t know what I’m dealing with right now.’ I just finished these two songs, I came from the studio,” West said, adding: “And this dude, he just had this real attitude, like, ‘What you gonna do? And see that?’ Imma just tell you, that blue COVID mask ain’t stop that knockout, you know what I’m saying?”
He went on to reiterate that the man wasn’t a fan, but was “taking autographs to make money on them,” noting: “This is the same as the paparazzi, this is not a fan. This is someone who is using your image, who probably never listened to your songs.”