Kanye West Accused of Assault in Lawsuit

A Kanye West fan just filed a new lawsuit against the rapper, claiming that West assaulted him back in 2022. The incident was partially caught on video and it made headlines at the time, but it has just made its way into the courts. Court documents obtained by TMZ tell the plaintiff's side of the story in full for the first time.

The lawsuit was filed by Justin Poplawski, who claims that he was seeking an autograph from West in downtown Los Angeles in January of 2022 when the alleged attack took place. Poplawski did not begin recording the incident until partway through the encounter, but in court documents he claims that when he asked for an autograph, West became enraged and shouted: "Go the f- out of here before I beat you the f- up. I'm going to make a f-ing example of you." Poplawski claims that West punched him at that point and said: "So do you want to get attacked for real?"

Poplawski was knocked to the ground – as seen in the video – and he requested an apology from West, which only enraged the rapper more. He claims that West said: "Apology for what?!" and struck him several more times, "severely injuring him." The people with West urged him to stop while the rapper continued to hit Poplawski.

Poplawski claims that this attack left him disfigured and in need of medical treatment. He also claims that he suffered long-term psychological pain and suffering and that he missed lots of work and employment opportunities. He is seeking damages for his pain and reimbursement for his medical bills and lost income. Poplawski's wife is also suing West for "loss of consortium," claiming that West's actions cost her the companionship of her husband while he was recovering.

The lawsuit comes after authorities decided not to pursue criminal charges against West. according to Page Six, the L.A. County Attorney's office found "no reasonable likelihood of conviction" after investigating Poplawski's case. West's lawyer, Michael Goldstein, said at the time that the police's conclusion proved that his "client did nothing wrong." So far, West and his team have not responded to other outlets' requests for comment on the lawsuit.

Goldstein also claimed that Poplawski had followed West around all night to multiple locations, even late in the night. He said that this made West feel unsafe and that West was well within his rights to refuse an autograph and to keep Poplawski out of his personal space. In an interview with Hollywood Unlocked, West said that Poplawski "wasn't a fan" but instead he was "taking autographs to make money on them." Poplawski himself admitted that he had already gotten autographs from West before this incident.