Metro Boomin Lawsuit: Allegations, Mistrial Motion, and Verdict

A federal jury in Los Angeles found producer Metro Boomin not liable on September 25, 2025, ending the Metro Boomin lawsuit filed by Vanessa LeMaistre, who had accused him of sexually assaulting her at a Southern California hotel in 2016. The eight-person jury deliberated for roughly an hour before rejecting all four claims against Leland Tyler Wayne, the producer’s legal name. LeMaistre’s attorneys said they plan to appeal.¹²

What LeMaistre Alleged

LeMaistre, a 38-year-old Los Angeles resident, sued Wayne in Los Angeles County Superior Court on October 29, 2024, alleging sexual battery and gender violence. She said the two met at a Las Vegas party in spring 2016, months after she lost her nine-month-old son to a rare disease, and that she visited Wayne’s California recording studio several times over the following months.³⁴

According to the complaint, during a September 2016 studio visit she took a liquor shot given to her by Wayne and half a Xanax bar for anxiety, then blacked out. She said she later woke on a bed to find Wayne sexually assaulting her while she could not move or speak, drifted in and out of consciousness, and eventually came to in a Beverly Hills hotel room with no memory of getting there. She also alleged she became pregnant from the encounter and had an abortion in November 2016.³⁴

A key issue at trial was the eight-year gap between the alleged assault and the lawsuit. LeMaistre testified that she decided to sue during a 2024 ayahuasca ceremony in Peru, which she described as a “detective” that helped her process trauma. The day after the ceremony, she drafted a plan to “blow the whistle on Metro Boomin” that included contacting attorneys, launching a social media campaign, and a damages target of $3.4 million to $3.7 million. She maintained she had known about the assault before the ceremony and had discussed it with a mental health professional in fall 2016 and with two rape hotlines in 2024.⁵⁶

Metro Boomin’s Response

Wayne denied the allegations from the start. His attorney, Lawrence C. Hinkle II of Sanders Roberts LLP, called the lawsuit “a pure shakedown” and said LeMaistre had tried to solicit payment from Wayne months earlier, which he had refused. Hinkle also signaled that Wayne intended to file a malicious prosecution claim after winning at trial.³

The case moved from state court to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in December 2024. A July 2025 mediation session and follow-up settlement talks did not resolve the case, and trial began September 23, 2025.⁷⁸

How the Trial Unfolded

Mistrial Motion Over Sexual History

Trial hit an early snag. During opening arguments, the defense told jurors that Wayne and LeMaistre had engaged in consensual sex on the night in question. References to a plaintiff’s sexual history in a sexual assault case typically require prior judicial approval. LeMaistre’s attorney, Michael Willemin of Wigdor LLP, filed an emergency mistrial motion that evening, arguing there was “no possible way to undo” the prejudice. The trial continued, and the issue later became one of several grounds cited in post-verdict motions.⁹⁶

The Plaintiff’s Case

LeMaistre was the only witness for her side. She testified that the shot and Xanax left her “completely incapacitated,” that she regained consciousness briefly to find Wayne on top of her before blacking out again, and that her memory of leaving the hotel was “foggy.” She also testified that the 2017 song “Rap Saved Me,” which Wayne produced, contained lyrics referencing the night of the alleged assault.⁶¹⁰

The Defense’s Case

The defense called two witnesses: Wayne and Dr. April Thames. Wayne testified that he and LeMaistre had sex on two occasions and that it was consensual both times, that she was “absolutely” conscious throughout, that he wore a condom, and that he had no knowledge of any pregnancy before the 2024 lawsuit. He also testified that the music video LeMaistre said she saw for “Rap Saved Me” does not exist.¹¹¹⁰

Thames, a UCLA psychology chief in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, testified that after reviewing LeMaistre’s medical records and conducting a roughly two-hour examination, she diagnosed LeMaistre with borderline personality disorder with psychotic features, major depressive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. She said there was “no credible evidence” that the alleged assault contributed to LeMaistre’s psychological condition. On cross-examination, Thames acknowledged LeMaistre had not previously received a borderline personality disorder diagnosis.¹²

The defense also attacked LeMaistre’s credibility. They introduced her handwritten ayahuasca notes, in which she identified herself as a “spirit medium” and claimed to have channeled the spirit of Wayne’s late mother expressing disappointment in her son. Defense attorney Justin H. Sanders pointed to 2016 Planned Parenthood records in which LeMaistre had denied experiencing “coercion” during the encounter; in February 2025, months after filing suit, she had tried to have those records amended to remove the denial. Sanders called that “trying to pull a fast one.” The defense also noted she could not produce photos or correspondence to corroborate a separate claim of having had a relationship with rapper Lil Wayne.¹³⁶¹¹

The Verdict

The jury found Wayne not liable on all four claims: common law battery, sexual battery, and two violations of California’s anti-gender violence statute. Deliberations lasted about an hour.¹¹³

Wayne said afterward that he was “grateful and thankful to God” and could “finally put all of this nonsense behind me.” He said, “From the beginning I have said these allegations were false and that I would not be a part of a shakedown. She attacked who I am as a person and how I was raised, and I could not let her get away with that.” He also criticized “the janky lawyers who made the conscious decision to take on this suit.”² Hinkle called the allegations “frivolous and unequivocally false” and said the verdict “confirms what he has always said — the plaintiff’s claims against him are completely fabricated.”¹⁴

What Happens Next

Willemin said his team was “disappointed in the outcome” but “proud to represent Ms. LeMaistre” and expressed belief that “the verdict will ultimately be overturned on appeal.” He cited “various errors and the admission of certain evidence and the exclusion of certain evidence” during trial and announced plans to pursue both mistrial motions and an eventual appeal. Judge R. Gary Klausner set a briefing schedule for the mistrial motion in the days after the verdict. No formal appeal had been filed as of the most recent reporting.⁶¹³²

1
People. Metro Boomin Not Liable in Civil Sexual Assault Trial
2
Los Angeles Times. Metro Boomin Verdict Civil Rape Lawsuit Not Liable
3
Los Angeles Times. Metro Boomin Lawsuit Rape Sexual Assault Shakedown
4
The Guardian. Metro Boomin Rape Lawsuit
5
Complex. Metro Boomin Civil Rape Trial Day 1 Accuser Testifies Ayahuasca
6
Rolling Stone. Metro Boomin Found Not Liable Civil Sexual Assault Trial
7
Rolling Stone. Metro Boomin Sexual Assault Lawsuit No Settlement
8
Billboard. Metro Boomin Assault Lawsuit Trial Settlement Talks Fail
9
Billboard. Metro Boomin Rape Trial Mistrial Motion Filed
10
Complex. Metro Boomin Rape Accusation Testimony Trial
11
Legal Affairs and Trials. In Trial Testimony Metro Boomin Calls Encounter Consensual
12
Rolling Stone. Metro Boomin Trial Sexual Assault
13
Legal Affairs and Trials. Jury Finds No Claims Proven in Metro Boomin Trial
14
Variety. Metro Boomin Sexual Assault Case Not Liable Verdict