FKA twigs Files Lawsuit Against Shia LaBeouf, Charging Abuse

The actor has a history of alarming remarks and behavior

2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards - Arrivals
Shia LaBeouf attends the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards on February 08, 2020 in Santa Monica, California.
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images

This week, Katie Benner and Melena Ryzik of The New York Times broke the news of an unsettling lawsuit brought by musician FKA twigs against Shia LaBeouf, with whom she had had a relationship that lasted for most of a year. The lawsuit alleges a host of toxic and abusive behavior on LaBeouf’s part; in the article, Benner and Ryzik cite a number of examples of physical and mental abuse.

When asked about her reasons for bringing the suit, FKA twigs offered a brief and comprehensive response. “I’d like to be able to raise awareness on the tactics that abusers use to control you and take away your agency,” she said.

LaBeouf addressed the lawsuit in an email to the Times. “I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations. I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years,” he wrote. “I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I’m ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt.”

Unfortunately, LaBeouf has a long history of public outbursts and aggressive behavior. In 2014, he sought treatment for alcohol addiction after a number of verbally and physically combative moments. The circumstances of a 2017 arrest involved him shouting racist and sexist comments at police. In subsequent interviews, LaBeouf spoke of his stint in rehab following that as helping him to get a grip on his own behavior.

The incidents described by FKA twigs in her lawsuit took place after that stint, however — adding an alarming dimension to LaBeouf’s numerous comments on his bad behavior over the years. FKA twigs calls her experience with LaBeouf “the worst thing I’ve ever been through in the whole of my life.” The harrowing details found in the article offer an alarming portrait of LaBeouf and his actions, and the way they’ve recurred over time.

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