Metro Boomin Accused of Rape in Lawsuit
A woman says Metro Boomin raped her, resulting in a pregnancy and abortion, in a new lawsuit. Vanessa LeMaistre is suing the hip-hop producer for battery and sexual battery, among other counts. She filed her lawsuit October 29 in California, TMZ first reported. A lawyer for Metro, born Leland Tyler Wayne, denied the “false allegations” to TMZ. According to her lawsuit, LeMaistre first met Metro in 2016 and got close to him after the death of her 9-month-old son, considering him “her friend.” She claims one day, at his studio, Metro gave her a shot of alcohol after she took half a Xanax, causing her to pass out. She alleges she woke up on a bed to Metro raping her. LeMaistre later learned she was pregnant, she says, but she had not had sex with anyone else. She claims she had an abortion because she could not “maintain any semblance of her declining mental health” while being pregnant.
LeMaistre’s lawsuit cites a number of Metro’s past tweets as showing “his flippant attitude toward sexual assault and drugging women.” The suit also cites the song “Rap Saved Me,” by Metro and rappers 21 Savage, Offset, and Quavo, released in October 2017. In the chorus, 21 raps, “She took a Xanny, then she fainted,” and later says, “She drives me crazy, have my baby.” The lawsuit says the lines “were horrifying” to LeMaistre following the incident. Attorneys for LeMaistre said in a statement that Metro’s posts and lyrics “explicitly outline his intentions to harm women.” They added, “These are more than mere words, and it’s time for him to be held accountable for his manipulative tactics and unacceptable behavior.”
The lawsuit comes during a record year for Metro, after he earned back-to-back No. 1 albums with Future for We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You, along with the song “Like That,” with Future and Kendrick Lamar, that spent three weeks at No. 1. The producer is expected to receive a number of Grammy nominations next week and is slated to perform at Rolling Loud Miami in December.
Metro’s attorney told TMZ the case was “a pure shakedown,” claiming LeMaistre previously reached out seeking payment. “Mr. Wayne will defend himself in court,” his attorney added. “He will file a claim for malicious prosecution once he prevails.” In response, an attorney for LeMaistre told Vulture, “Making defamatory remarks is not going to help Metro Boomin’s cause, and we look forward to proving Ms. LeMaistre’s claims in court and, ultimately, before a jury.”