Soulja Boy Controversy: Verdicts, SEC Charges, and Weapons Record

Soulja Boy’s lawsuits and legal issues include two civil trials he lost for abuse and sexual assault totaling more than $4.7 million in jury verdicts, a third abuse lawsuit still pending in California, a 2017 felony conviction for weapons possession, a 2023 Securities and Exchange Commission action over undisclosed cryptocurrency promotions, and a 2018 counterfeit gaming console venture that collapsed under industry pressure. The rapper, whose legal name is DeAndre Cortez Way, has denied the abuse allegations and is appealing the largest verdict against him.

The $4.25 Million Sexual Assault Verdict

On April 10, 2025, a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury found Soulja Boy liable for sexual battery, assault, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual harassment, and nonpayment of wages. The jury awarded $4 million in compensatory damages and added $250,000 in punitive damages. It cleared him on claims of false imprisonment and constructive discharge.¹²

The plaintiff, who remained anonymous, began working as his personal assistant in 2018 and filed suit in January 2021. She testified that Way raped and beat her over roughly two years, punching her, kicking her, threatening her life, and at one point keeping her locked in a room without food for up to two days. Her testimony was supported by text messages and photographs of injuries.²¹

Way denied the allegations throughout the nearly month-long trial, calling the plaintiff a “disgruntled, jealous, lying ex” and disputing that she had been his employee. After the verdict, he read a statement outside the courthouse saying, “I want to make it clear that I am innocent,” and called the process “tainted by a system that is not designed to protect the rights of the accused.”³ During the punitive damages phase he testified that he could not afford a $4 million payout, citing lost income and a canceled Coachella performance.¹

Way filed a motion for a new trial and an appeal. In a July 2025 tentative ruling, Judge Mark Epstein indicated he was not inclined to grant a new trial, rejecting defense claims of juror misconduct. The court was separately weighing whether to reduce the verdict through a remittitur, with no final ruling reported as of July 2025.⁴ The plaintiff’s attorney, Neama Rahmani, said his team intended to pursue Way’s assets to collect.¹

The Kayla Myers Assault and Kidnapping Verdict

In April 2023, a Santa Monica Superior Court jury returned a verdict against Way in a lawsuit brought by Kayla Myers over a February 2019 incident at his home. Myers alleged Way attacked her during a party, kicked her, stomped on her stomach, struck her head with a large firearm, and held a gun to her head before ordering an assistant to restrain her in the garage with duct tape and an extension cord. She said she was held for hours, forced to shower in front of two men, and hospitalized with three fractured ribs and a facial contusion.⁵⁶

The jury awarded $235,900 in compensatory damages, then found Way had acted with “malice, oppression or fraud” and added $235,900 in punitive damages, for a total of $471,800. He did not appeal.⁵¹

A Third Abuse Lawsuit Still Pending

A third woman, an anonymous former girlfriend, sued Way in California state court in May 2021. The lawsuit alleged years of domestic violence during an on-and-off relationship from 2007 to 2019, including punching and kicking her while she was pregnant in 2015 and allegedly causing a miscarriage, a 2016 incident in which he threatened her with a gun, a 2019 choking incident, and coerced sexual acts.⁷⁸ The case remained pending with no trial date set as of the most recent reports.⁹

When the assistant’s lawsuit first became public in January 2021, a representative for Way told TMZ he “wouldn’t beat a woman or put his hands on a woman” and called the claims “nonsense.”¹⁰ All three abuse lawsuits have been handled by the same plaintiff’s attorney, Neama Rahmani.⁸

Felony Weapons Record

Way’s criminal history centers on firearms. He was convicted in 2014 of carrying a loaded weapon in a vehicle.¹¹ In December 2016, while on probation, police found firearms at his Hollywood Hills home, including one reported stolen.¹² In April 2017, he pleaded no contest to felony weapons possession and a related misdemeanor, receiving five years of probation and 240 days of community service.¹³

In February 2019, police raided his Agoura Hills home and found ammunition. A judge later found that Way had failed to complete his court-ordered community service and had conspired to falsify evidence showing he had. On April 30, 2019, he was sentenced to 240 days in jail and 265 days of community service, with credit for 40 days already served.¹²

On August 3, 2025, Way was arrested again around 2:35 a.m. during a traffic stop at Melrose and Genesee avenues in Los Angeles. He was a passenger in the vehicle; officers found a firearm and booked him on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm.¹⁴⁹¹⁵

SEC Charges Over Crypto Promotions

In March 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged Way with illegally promoting the cryptocurrency tokens Tronix (TRX) and BitTorrent (BTT) without disclosing that he had been paid. He was one of eight celebrities named in the action, and as of the initial announcement, all of the others except Way and one other individual had reached settlements.¹⁶¹⁷

Blockchain investigator ZachXBT found that Way tweeted about various crypto projects and NFTs 73 times between March 2021 and April 2023, with estimated earnings exceeding $730,000. Among the projects he promoted were RAPDOGE, now defunct, and SaferMars, identified as a “rug pull” scam.¹⁶ He was also named in an early-2022 class-action lawsuit against the creators and celebrity promoters of the SafeMoon token, which alleged a pump-and-dump scheme.¹⁸

The SouljaGame Console Episode

In late 2018, Way launched the “SouljaGame Console” and “SouljaGame Handheld” through his website, marketing them as devices loaded with hundreds to thousands of classic games from PlayStation, Sega, Game Boy Advance, and NES. The hardware appeared to be rebranded emulator devices, and the preloaded libraries almost certainly contained games used without authorization.¹⁹

Reports said Way faced threats of criminal prosecution under the Trademark Counterfeiting Act. He initially dismissed concerns and told Rolling Stone the products were “100 percent legit,” then pulled the consoles from his website by late December 2018, saying he “had to boss up” and “didn’t have a choice.”¹⁹ No publicly confirmed lawsuit was ever filed, and the products came down following what reports described as cease and desist notifications from major gaming companies.²⁰

Where Things Stand

Way’s legal exposure remains substantial. He has lost two civil trials for abuse and sexual assault, with combined jury verdicts above $4.7 million. His appeal of the $4.25 million verdict is proceeding; the third abuse lawsuit is still pending; the SEC case appears unresolved. Prosecutors declined to pursue the August 2025 weapons arrest, but his felony record continues to carry legal risk any time he is found near a firearm.⁹

1
Courthouse News Service. Jury Finds Soulja Boy Liable to Tune of $4 Million in Sexual Assault Civil Trial
2
Variety. Soulja Boy Ordered to Pay Four Million in Sexual Assault Case
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The New York Times. Soulja Boy Sexual Assault Trial Verdict
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Courthouse News Service. Judge Considers Trimming $4.25 Million Soulja Boy Sexual Assault Verdict
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ABC7. Soulja Boy Punitive Damages in Santa Monica Superior Court
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Rolling Stone. Soulja Boy to Pay Ex-Girlfriend in Assault Kidnapping Case
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USA Today. Rapper Soulja Boy Sued by Longtime Lover Over Alleged Domestic Abuse
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Pitchfork. Soulja Boy Facing Another Lawsuit for Assault and Sexual Battery
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Billboard. Soulja Boy Released From Jail, Gun Charges Not Filed
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The Guardian. Rapper Soulja Boy Sued Over Sexual Assault Allegations
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CNN. Soulja Boy Jail Sentencing
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CBS News Los Angeles. Rapper Soulja Boy Ordered to Serve 240 Days in Jail for Violating Probation
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ABC News. Rapper Soulja Boy Arrested on Weapon Charge During Traffic Stop
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CBS News. Soulja Boy Arrested on Weapons Charges in Los Angeles
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CBS News Los Angeles. Soulja Boy Will Not Face Charges After Los Angeles Weapons Arrest
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Yahoo Finance. Soulja Boy Reportedly Cranking Promotions
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Variety. Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, Lil Yachty, Justin Sun Crypto
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1st Source Bank. Crypto Fraud Famous Schemes
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Complex. Soulja Boy Removes SouljaGame Listing Amid Nintendo Lawsuit Concerns
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Variety. SouljaGame Emulator Removed From Store