Soulja Boy is accusing a jury of misconduct in the assault and kidnapping case brought by his ex-girlfriend, Kayla Myers. Myers filed the civil suit in 2020, alleging that the rapper assaulted her and kidnapped her at his Malibu home for six hours. Despite authorities not criminally charging Soulja, a jury in the civil trial ordered Soulja to pay Myers $235,000 after ruling in her favor. During the trial, Myers showed the jury photos of her alleged injuries, including three fractured ribs, as well as messages from Soulja Boy.
In Soulja's new motion, his legal team claims there was “irregularity in the proceedings of the court, jury or adverse party, or any order of the court or abuse of discretion by which either party was prevented from having a fair trial.” He also reportedly has discovered new evidence that he wants to present in court.
Soulja Boy Performs At Rolling Loud
A main factor in Soulja's decision to request a retrial reportedly stems from a further award of $236,000 in “punitive damages" the jury gave Myers. The figure brought Myers' total closer to $500,000. At the time, her attorney, Max Engelhardt, told RadarOnline.com: “We’re pleased with the jury’s verdict for $472,000. Mr. Way [Soulja Boy] assaulted and terrorized Kayla, and that was borne out by the evidence and testimony. The punitive damages were substantial, and hopefully they will serve as a lesson to Mr. Way that his celebrity status is not a license to commit violence.”
Paying off the damages shouldn't be too difficult for Soulja, who recently showed off the massive earnings he made from his hit single, “Kiss Me Thru The Phone." During an interview with HipHopDX, Soulja claimed he was making $100,000 a month at one point from the track. He explained that the figure was so high due to a phone number featured in the music video. Each time fans dialed the number, he made money.
[Via]