American rapper and entrepreneur Kanye West, now named Ye, addresses supporters during his brief presidential run on July 19 2020, in North Charleston, S.C., and on Friday was accused of sexual assault while shooting a music video in New York City. File Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo
Nov. 23 (UPI) — Model Jenifer “Jenn” An has accused Kanye West, now known as Ye, in lawsuit that he assaulted her while filming a music video in New York City in 2010 for a remix of British duo LaRoux’s song In for the Kill. Ye was featured in the music video and controlled the video shoot, which An said he turned into something more like a fetish porn shoot and gagged and choked her until she lost consciousness, NBC News reported. Advertisement
The music video was shot on Sept. 7, 2010, at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City.
Before the alleged assault, Ye told the actors and models to line up in a hallway, chose two of them and told the crew to “give me the Asian girl,” An said.
She said he took the three of them to a suite where a couch and camera were located.
An identified Ye as Kanye West in the lawsuit and said he strangled and covered her face with both hands before forcing his fingers down her throat and continuously moved them in and out to “emulate forced oral sex.”
Advertisement
She says he declared what he was doing to be “art” and said he was “like Picasso.”
When he finished, An said her face was covered with smeared makeup and saliva.
An accuses Ye of sexually assaulting her and named Universal Music Group as a co-defendant for not investigating the matter.
An, a former contestant on “America’s Next Top Model” when she was 23, filed the federal lawsuit against Ye, 47, on Friday.
She said she suffered trauma, humiliation and emotional distress due to the alleged sexual assault and seeks compensatory and punitive damages.
An “has displayed great courage to speak out against some of the most powerful men and entities within the entertainment industry,” her attorney, Jesse Weinstein, said in a news release. “Everyone’s voice is important, and West cannot escape liability because of his success and notoriety.”
On X he posted: “I filed a case against Kanye West that will hopefully get him the attention he truly deserves.
The case is before the U.S. District Court for Southern New York in Manhattan.