Ye, who has been accused of sexual battery and sex trafficking in an amended complaint filed by a former aide, is seeking dismissal of those claims against his companies.
Plaintiff Lauren Pisciotta originally sued the rapper, formerly known as Kanye West, for wrongful termination and sexual harassment in Los Angeles Superior Court in June 2024. She contends in an updated complaint brought on July 10 that he sexually assault her and coerced her into complying with his sexual demands by making false promises about the advancement of her career.
The model and social media influencer also named as defendants Ye companies Yeezy LLC, Yeezy Apparel LLC, Yeezy Footwear LLC in many of her 11 causes of action, including those of sexual battery and sex trafficking. Pisciotta alleges that Ye recruited and enticed her to submit to commercial sex acts.
But on Monday, Ye’s attorneys filed court papers with Judge Nicholas F. Daum arguing that the entities cannot be held liable for those allegations and therefore the companies should be dismissed as defendants in that pair of claims.
“There are no allegations concerning the scope of Ye’s duties or how his work as an owner is … connected to any alleged sexual battery or sex trafficking,” the singer’s attorneys state in their court papers.
The complaint also fails to show how the companies could have been a culprit in any sex trafficking, the Ye lawyers further contend in their court papers.
“Thus, to support a perpetrator theory against the (companies), plaintiff must allege facts indicating how the entity facilitated Ye’s behavior, which Plaintiff has not and cannot do,” the rapper’s lawyers further argue in their pleadings.
Pisciotta does not allege that any other member of the companies other than the rapper was aware of Ye’s alleged sex trafficking of the plaintiff, according to Ye’s attorneys’ court papers.
In the revised complaint, the plaintiff alleges Ye “terrorized and dominated” her for about two years under the pretense of offering serious career advancement opportunities in the music and fashion industry. After the plaintiff continued to refuse Ye’s sexual advances, he terminated her in 2023, but later grabbed her by the throat at her apartment, the amended suit states.
Pisciotta further contends that Ye sent phony deliveries to her home and had someone report false emergencies at her Florida home after she moved to that state to try and get away from him.
“This practice, colloquially known as swatting, resulted in a barrage of alarming and intrusive visits to Ms. Pisciotta’s home from police, various government investigative authorities and delivery and service providers,” the revised suit states.
A hearing on the Ye motion is scheduled March 23, 2026.