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Singer FKA Twigs has filed a lawsuit against actor Shia LaBeouf accusing him of physically, mentally and emotionally abusing her during their former relationship.
FKA Twigs, 32, whose real name is Tahliah Debrett Barnett, filed the lawsuit against LaBeouf, 34, in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, The New York Times reported.
At the center of the lawsuit is a 2019 incident involving Barnett riding as a passenger in a car driven "recklessly" by LaBeouf. According to the report, the singer-songwriter accused LaBeouf of "removing his seatbelt and threatening to crash unless she professed her love for him."
Barnett went on to accuse LaBeouf of acting ragefully toward her throughout the trip, and at one point, "waking her up in the middle of the night, choking her," the report continued.
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FKA Twigs has filed a lawsuit against Shia LaBeouf for alleged abuse during their past relationship. (REUTERS/Danny Moloshok)
Barnett said the "Transformers" actor also "assaulted" her at a gas station stop after she "begged to be let out of the car."
Barnett accused LaBeouf of pulling over, removing her bags from the trunk of the vehicle and "throwing her against the car while screaming in her face," the suit alleges, according to the Times. She was then "forced" back into the car.
Included in the lawsuit are additional accusations made by another former girlfriend of LaBeouf’s, Karolyn Pho. Pho works as a stylist and, according to the Times, alleged in the lawsuit a time LaBeouf “drunkenly pinned her to a bed and head-butted her, enough that she bled."
In a statement to Fox News Barnett's attorney, Bryan Freedman, said: "Shia LaBoeuf has abused Ms. Barnett, Ms.Pho and others. We tried to resolve this matter privately on the condition that Mr. LaBeouf agree to receive meaningful and consistent psychological treatment. Since he was unwilling to agree to get appropriate help, Ms. Barnett filed this suit to prevent others from unknowingly suffering similar abuse by him.”
Reps for LaBeouf and Pho did not immediately respond to Fox News' requests for comment. However, LaBeouf reacted to allegations made by Barnett and Pho in an emailed response to the Times on Thursday. While he noted that “many of the allegations” made against him are “not true,” the actor addressed his alcoholism.
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FKA Twigs said her decision to come forward is to raise awareness for the 'tactics that abusers use to control you.' (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
“I’m not in any position to tell anyone how my behavior made them feel,” he said in an emailed statement to the outlet.
“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. There is nothing else I can really say.”
The actor added that he was "a sober member of a 12-step program" and is in therapy.
"I am not cured of my PTSD and alcoholism but I am committed to doing what I need to do to recover, and I will forever be sorry to the people that I may have harmed along the way," he wrote to the outlet.
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In an interview, Barnett explained her decision to come forward.
“I’d like to be able to raise awareness on the tactics that abusers use to control you and take away your agency,” the 32-year-old artist said.
Shia LaBeouf addressed his struggle with alcoholism and how he is currently seeking therapy in an emailed statement to the New York Times. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for HFA)
Barnett explained in the court filing that she met LaBeouf in 2018, when she was cast in the film "Honey Boy," a movie the actor wrote. The two began dating after the movie finished filming.
Barnett goes on to accuse LaBeouf of "knowingly" giving her a sexually transmitted disease. She described the abuse from the actor throughout their relationship as "relentless." Other allegations of abuse involve the "Cellophane" singer claiming that LaBeouf would "squeeze or grab her to the point of bruising."
Both Barnett and Pho also claimed that LaBeouf set rules for them during their separate relationships with the star. According to the two females, LaBeouf "did not like it if they spoke to or looked at male waiters," and Barnett said the actor even informed her of "how many times a day she had to kiss and touch him."
The musician acknowledges in the lawsuit that she lived with LaBeouf and had difficulty leaving.
“He brought me so low, below myself, that the idea of leaving him and having to work myself back up just seemed impossible,” she said.
In the lawsuit, she claims LaBeouf did not let her wear clothes to bed, and kept a "loaded firearm" next to his bed.
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The singer's manager, Michael Stirton, told the Times he noticed a shift in Barnett's behavior during her relationship with LaBeouf. She reportedly was working on the release of her "Magdalene" album, which was delayed more than once.
“Twigs is always the driving force behind her career — always a step ahead of everyone else. This was an extreme change in her personality and character," he said.
Barnett explained to the Times her reasoning for not going to the police following abusive incidents. She explained her reluctancy came "first out of a misguided concern about harming [LaBeouf's] career, and later because she thought her account would not be taken seriously, and it would be futile."
The artist called the abuse she allegedly suffered with LaBeouf "the worst thing I've been through in the whole of my life."
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“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," she added.
Barnett also said she plans to use a portion of any monetary damages she receives from the lawsuit to domestic violence charities.
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