New lawsuit claims West drugged and assaulted former assistant during Combs studio session: What we know

Kanye West, now known as Ye, is facing new allegations from his former assistant Lauren Pisciotta, who sued him for sexual harassment and wrongful termination back in June.

In an amended statement of claim filed Oct. 8 and obtained by multiple media outlets, Pisciotta, who worked for West from 2021 to 2022, alleges that the rapper drugged and sexually assaulted her during a studio session co-hosted by Sean “Diddy” Combs abused. Combs, who faces separate charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, is named in Pisciotta's complaint but is not accused of wrongdoing in her case.

West's representatives have not responded to Yahoo Entertainment's requests for comment.

These latest allegations add to the growing list of legal issues the rapper has faced in recent years. Here's what we know so far about the new allegations — and a recap of some of the other lawsuits the rapper is currently facing.

👀 The latest allegations

According to the amended complaint filed in Los Angeles, Pisciotta claims that she and her former artist management client, who is not named in the lawsuit, were invited to a studio session in Santa Monica, California, hosted by West and Combs.

The complaint does not specify when this alleged meeting occurred. During the meeting, Pisciotta claimed that “drinks were served to her and others in attendance” and that it was announced that “everyone had to drink if they wanted to stay,” the complaint states.

Pisciotta claims in the complaint that after drinking she felt “suddenly disoriented” and “less in control of her body and speech.” The next morning she woke up with no memory of what had happened and “feeling physically ill and confused.”

For years, Pisciotta believed she had been drugged and embarrassed herself at a work event. However, years later, the lawsuit alleges that West brought up that night and admitted that they “kind of got together” that night.

Pisciotta claims their conversation led her to the realization that she had been sexually abused by West while she was incapacitated at the studio session that evening. She decided to leave her work for the rapper, but had to proceed “extremely carefully” because she feared she would be “silenced, blacklisted and retaliated against” by West and others in the music industry, according to the complaint. Pisciotta was reportedly fired shortly thereafter.

The former assistant did not accuse Combs of wrongdoing in the complaint, although he now faces other charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering.

🧑‍⚖️ The previous lawsuit

In Pisciotta's first lawsuit, she alleged that West hired her in July 2021 as an executive assistant with a promised salary of $1 million, which required her to be on call 24/7. Pisciotta previously worked on the rapper's women's fashion line Yeezy Season 1 in 2015 and his 2021 album Donda.

The year before West hired her, Pisciotta claimed she earned $1 million from creating content on OnlyFans and social media posts that West endorsed. However, by August 2022, he allegedly asked her to delete the account in exchange for $1 million – a promise that Pisciotta said he never kept.

Pisciotta claimed West promoted her to his chief of staff in September 2022 with an offer of $3 million. She was fired the following month and claims she was never paid.

She is now suing for sexual harassment, breach of contract, wrongful termination and creating a hostile work environment and is seeking at least $4 million in damages.

📲 Vulgar texts and intimate photos

Pisciotta's lawsuit alleges that West sent vulgar texts, including graphic sexual fantasies, as well as intimate photos of other male and female Yeezy employees.

“See, my problem is that I want to fuck, but after I fuck, I want a girl to tell me how hard they were fucked while I'm fucking her. Then I want her to cheat on me,” one of the alleged messages reads, according to Page Six.

According to Rolling Stone, Pisciotta further claims that West sent her snapshots and videos of himself having sex with models and masturbating during phone calls with her and on a flight to Paris. Pisciotta also accuses West of having an “obsession” with her, allegedly moving into her building and stalking her after she was fired. She also said he became angry when she rejected his previous advances for a date or sex.

❌ West calls the allegations “baseless”

While West has not yet publicly responded to Pisciotta's amended complaint, his lawyers previously called her original allegations “baseless,” telling Page Six in June that the model “sexually pursued West to obtain employment and other material benefits.”

His lawyers further claimed that Pisciotta blackmailed the rapper when “her advances were rejected” and accused her of stealing his phone to “destroy phone records that would contradict her claims.”

“Such conduct is completely inconsistent with someone who claims to have been sexually harassed or experienced a hostile work environment,” West’s lawyers told the Los Angeles Times. “It is apparent that Ms. Pisciotta used her connection to and proximity to Ye and his company to obtain material gains, influence and employment through improper means.”

The statement continued: “Her initial attempt to file a wrongful termination lawsuit received no media attention, resulting in her making headlines after she threatened extortion and extortion.”

⚖️ A recap of West's other legal troubles

West's legal team has been busy handling a number of lawsuits in recent years. This includes:

• April 2024: Benjamin Deshon Pravo, a security guard at Donda Academy, an unaccredited Christian private school founded by West in 2022, sued for racial discrimination, claiming the rapper favored white employees and fired him for refusing to cut off his dreadlocks. That same month, Trevor Phillips, a former Donda Academy and Yeezy employee, sued West for his alleged discriminatory and anti-Semitic behavior.

• February 2024: West claimed Adidas was suing him for $250 million, although no public lawsuit emerged. Adidas filed private arbitration over his public offensive statements, alleging a breach of their partnership.

• September 2023: Tony Saxon, a former caretaker and security guard at West's Malibu mansion, sued for $1 million over dangerous working conditions and unpaid wages.

• June 2023: Paparazzo Nichol Lechmanik sued West for throwing her cell phone in traffic, claiming assault, battery and negligence.

• May 2023: Gap Inc. sued West for $2 million over the termination of their Yeezy partnership, accusing West of failing to fulfill contractual obligations.

• April 2023: Teachers Cecilia Hailey and Chekarey Byers sued Donda Academy for health, safety and educational violations. They alleged the school failed to provide essential services and comply with government regulations. A third teacher, Timanii Meeks, later joined the lawsuit.

Read more: A breakdown of the many lawsuits facing the West.