Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, is being accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit that alleges he strangled a model on a music video set in 2010 and shoved his fingers in her mouth in what the suit refers to as “pornographic gagging.”
The incident occurred at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City, according to a federal lawsuit filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The model, Jenifer An, was a background actor for another musician’s video that Ye was guest-starring in, the suit says.
NBC News reached out to a representative for Ye and the New York City Police Department for comment on Saturday.
A few hours into the video shoot, Ye arrived and “took control of the production and the production team,” the suit states.
“Specifically, he ordered the female background actors/models, including Plaintiff, to line up in the hallway. He evaluated their appearances, pointed to two of the women, and then commanded them to follow him,” the suit says.
The lawsuit alleges that Ye then pointed at An and said, “Give me the Asian girl.”
An, who was wearing “revealing lingerie,” was uncomfortable but went with him to a suite with a couch and a camera, it says.
“Defendant West then ordered the production team to start the playback music. However, Defendant West did not know his assigned lyrics and instead rambled, ‘Rawr, rawr, rawr,’” the suit says. “Defendant West then pulled two chairs near the camera, positioned them across from each other, and instructed Plaintiff to sit in the chair in front of the camera.”
The suit alleges that Ye stood “towering over” An and, breathing heavily, “began to choke Plaintiff with one hand.”
“He then wrapped his other hand around her neck and continued to strangle her with both hands,” it says. “Next, Defendant West smothered Plaintiff’s face with both of his hands, which smeared her makeup. He then rammed several fingers down her throat, continuously moved them in and out, and gagged her to emulate forced oral sex.”
The rapper allegedly screamed, “This is art. This is f—–g art. I am like Picasso,” according to the lawsuit. It accuses him of sexually assaulting An “in a manner similar to pornographic gagging/deep throat/BDSM fetishes.”
The suit says that An struggled to breathe and “felt as if she had temporarily blacked out.” It says when West was done, An’s “face was covered in saliva and smeared makeup.”
Universal Music Group is also named in the lawsuit as a defendant and accused of failing to investigate the incident. The corporation did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
The rapper has been at the center of several recent lawsuits, including an amended suit last month filed by a former assistant accusing him of sex assault and sex trafficking. His representative did not respond to the lawsuit.
An, a former finalist on the television competition show “America’s Next Top Model,” said she hopes to “hold the abusers accountable through the legal system” and wants her lawsuit to create “a safer world for us and for future artists.”
“Women in the music and entertainment industries have been subject to sexual abuse for years with no recourse to speak out or implement change,” she said in a statement. “This space is a dangerous place for women. We are essentially objects in the entertainment world. The industries have thrived on placing us in abusive power dynamics.”
Jesse S. Weinstein, an attorney for An, said he could not provide details beyond what is in the lawsuit.
“We are honored and privileged to represent Ms. An, who has displayed great courage to speak out against some of the most powerful men and entities within the entertainment industry,” Weinstein said in a news release. “Everyone’s voice is important, and West cannot escape liability because of his success and notoriety.”
An is seeking compensatory and punitive damages against Ye.
