Kanye West is facing a serious legal challenge as model Jenifer An has filed a lawsuit alleging sexual assault and strangulation dating back to 2009 on the set of La Roux's music video for "In For The Kill."
According to NME, the lawsuit was initiated in a New York federal court on November 22, where An claims that West's behavior during the shoot was not only inappropriate but severely harmful.
This lawsuit arrives amid a wave of legal troubles for West, who has recently been sued by several former employees for various allegations, including a hostile work environment, wrongful termination and harassment.
West allegedly "staged his own production" during the shoot, directed the camera crew to focus on An before allegedly choking her and engaging in disturbing acts that he described as "art."
The lawsuit details that he used both hands to strangle her and employed explicit gestures mimicking forced oral sex while making statements such as, "This is art. This is fucking art. I am like Picasso."
An claims that she struggled to breathe during the encounter and was left in a distressed state afterwards.
Universal Music Group is named as a co-defendant, accused of facilitating West's appearance in the video without conducting an adequate investigation following the incident. An is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages.