Singer FKA Twigs [born Tahliah Debrett Barnett] is suing her ex-boyfriend, actor Shia LaBeouf, accusing the Transformers star of “relentless” abuse, including sexual battery, assault, emotional distress and that he “knowingly” giving her a sexually transmitted disease during their relationship, which spanned nearly a year between 2018 and 2019.
According to the New York Times, the suit was filed in Los Angeles County on Friday. The Times also details several incidents, including one in 2019 where LaBeouf threatened to crash the car they were driving in if Twigs didn’t tell him she loved him. After Twigs begged to be let out of the car, LaBeouf pulled over at a gas station where he then, according to The Times, threw her bags out of the car’s trunk and threw her against the car while screaming in her face.
“What I went through with Shia was the worst thing I’ve ever been through in the whole of my life,” Twigs told The Times. “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.”
The report also outlines other instances of LaBeouf’s abusing both Twigs and Karolyn Pho, another ex-girlfriend.
FKA Twigs’ attorney Bryan Freedman said in a statement that, “Shia LaBoeuf has abused Ms. Barnett, Ms. Pho and others. We tried to resolve this matter privately on the condition that Mr. LaBeouf agrees 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.”
In a statement to The Times, LaBeouf doesn’t address the suit, but said: “I’m not in any position to tell anyone how my behavior made them feel. 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.”
Reps for LaBeouf didn’t immediately respond to SPIN’s request for comment.
Twigs also told The Times that she intends to donate a significant portion of any monetary damages from the lawsuit that may be awarded to her to domestic-violence charities. The monetary amount Twigs is suing for is unspecified.
In an Instagram post, Twigs commented on the situation, which you can see below:
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