FKA Twigs is trying to keep her complete medical history out of the courtroom.
Four years ago, the musician accused ex-boyfriend Shia LaBeouf of “relentless abuse” in a lawsuit alleging sexual and physical assault. In court documents filed Monday, her attorneys denounced LaBeouf for requesting her “highly private” records ahead of his trial.
In the Los Angeles Superior Court filing obtained by People , the singer’s lawyers argued that the defense is “improperly seeking” both “private financial and medical information,” despite these records having “no bearing on the issues in this case,” which goes to trial in October.
Twigs, whose real name is Tahliah Barnett, dated LaBeouf from 2018 to 2019.
Barnett claimed in her 2020 lawsuit that LaBeouf tried to choke her several times during their relationship. She also alleged that he once removed his seat belt while driving “manically,” and that he threatened “to crash the car” unless Barnett professed “her eternal love for him.”
The singer also claimed that LaBeouf, who directed Barnett in his semi-autobiographical film “Honey Boy” in 2018, shot stray dogs to prepare for a later role , forced her to sleep naked and watch serial killer documentaries, and gave her a sexually transmitted disease.
Barnett thus additionally accused LaBeouf in her lawsuit of inflicting emotional distress.
However, her attorneys argued Monday that seeking “the entirety” of her medical history goes “well beyond the injuries that are actually at issue,” and that this information is “unrelated to her emotional distress or the condition transmitted to her.”
Actor Shia LaBeouf (center-left) and singer FKA Twigs (right) in Park City, Utah, in 2019.
“The requests are overbroad and burdensome,” the filing reportedly said, noting that Barnett has already submitted 1,300 pages of documents and the results of a psychological exam. “As such, Defendant is not entitled to this highly private information.”
In an interview that coincided with her original suit, Barnett told The New York Times that dating LaBeouf was “the worst thing I’ve ever been through.” The actor said in response at the time that he was “ashamed” of his “history of hurting the people closest to me.”
LaBeouf also denied “many” of Barnett’s claims, while apologizing “for those things I have done.”
“It may be surprising to you to learn that I was in an emotionally and physically abusive relationship,” Barnett wrote on social media at the time of her filing . “It was hard for me to process, too, during and after I never thought something like this would happen to me.”
Her lawsuit against LaBeouf is scheduled to go to trial on Oct. 14.
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline .
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