Attorneys for a former aide to Ye, who accuses him of sexual battery and sex trafficking, state in a new letter to a judge that they have been repeatedly frustrated in an attempt to depose the “Runaway” singer, saying to date the only discovery they’re getting amounts to “bread crumbs.”
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 assaulted her and coerced her into complying with his sexual demands by making false promises about the advancement of her career.
In a letter to Judge Nicholas F. Daum sent in advance of a scheduled Nov. 3 discovery conference, lawyers from the Lisa Bloom law firm state that they have not been given reasonable assurances that Ye will be produced for his deposition, nor have his attorneys agreed to meet with them to facilitate that effort.
“Plaintiff has sent 14 emails in an attempt to meet and confer with defendants regarding the disputes, but defendant has refused to cooperate — even going so far as to ignore plaintiff’s emails for a period of two months,” the Bloom firm attorneys state in their letter.
When the defense does respond to the Bloom firm emails their answers are “nothing more than bread crumbs designed to placate plaintiff for the purpose of avoiding court intervention,” the Bloom attorneys further contend in their letter.
The Bloom firm lawyers further note that another judge in a different case pending against Ye recently fined the rapper $4,750 for failure to comply with a previous deposition order and again directed him to appear for a deposition session.
“Given Defendant Ye’s notoriety for evading court orders (and) his blatant disrespect for the judicial process … plaintiff has a good faith belief that defendant Ye does not intend to schedule or appear for his deposition in this case, according to the Bloom firm attorneys’ letter.
An attorney for Ye did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
In her lawsuit, Pisciotta, a 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.
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.