Rapper Soulja Boy was found liable for sexually assaulting and physically and emotionally abusing a former assistant by a California jury on Thursday.
The woman, who was not identified by name, was awarded damages of $4 million.
The decision from the Los Angeles County jurors came following a three-week trial in Santa Monica, California.
The trial will now move to a second phase for possible punitive damages, which could lead to a bigger award.
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The 34-year-old Soulja Boy, whose legal name is DeAndre Cortez Way, was found liable for assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Jurors did not find him liable for false imprisonment and other allegations.
The plaintiff’s attorney, Neama Rahmani, said in a statement: “Today’s verdict is just the beginning of justice for Soulja Boy’s victims, and other victims in the music industry.”
Lead defence attorney Rickey Ivie said he was withholding comment until the verdict is finalised.
Soulja Boy, who had several hits including Crank That (Soulja Boy), has previously denied the allegations.
The woman was not identified by name in the lawsuit she filed in 2021, and The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused.
She said she began working for Soulja Boy in 2018, and he agreed to pay her 500 dollars (£285) a week for cleaning his house, cooking for him and doing other personal tasks, but she says she was never paid.
The two began a romantic relationship, and soon after he began abusing her, raping her, kicking her, punching her and threatening her with violence and death, her lawsuit alleges.
She believed she was in love with him and he manipulated her into staying until 2020, despite repeated acts of violence, the lawsuit says.
She was beaten and raped again when she returned to retrieve her things months after leaving him, the lawsuit says.
The Chicago hip-hop artist is best known for his 2007 single Crank That (Soulja Boy), which went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him a Grammy nomination for best rap song. - AP
