Kanye West is being sued by a paparazzo.
Kanye West sued by photographer
The 45-year-old rap star was being pursued by photographer Nichol Lechmanik when he confronted her and grabbed her cellphone but she is now taking him to court as she claims that his actions have left a long-lasting impact.
At a press conference on Thursday (01.06.23), she said: "He reached into my car as if he were going to hit me, he grabbed my phone out of my hand and then angrily threw it into the street. He caused so much fear that I have not been the same since.He has no right to assault me, batter me or cause me to be afraid to pursue my profession.
"I want Ye to know that he cannot do what he did to me without facing consequences. I am determined to stand up for myself to let him know that he must change his abhorrent behaviour. I’ve never had any other incident happen like this with any other celebrity… I want people to know is that there are good people that do this profession.
"We’re mindful of the celebrities. We’re always concerned of their well being. I would never do any harm."
In her lawsuit, Nichol also claims that she has suffered "great mental and emotional pain" as a result of the alleged incident and that the 'Jesus Walks' rapper - who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021 - has a "reputation for violence" against photographers.
The lawsuit states: "Given Defendant Ye’s reputation for violence against photographers, his history of physically harming them, and based on his threatening body language, Plaintiff became fearful for the photographers safety. She did not want to get out of her car because she was afraid of Defendant Ye.
"He reached into Plaintiff’s car and ripped her phone out of her hands. As he did so, Plaintiff was fearful Defendant Ye had a weapon or would strike her."
Meanwhile, Nichol's attorney Gloria Allred claimed that Kanye needs to remember he was in a public place when the incident took place - where anyone has the "right" to film - and suggested that the 'Donda' rapper "stays home" to retain his privacy.
She said: "Professional photographers who earn their living by being photographers have the right to do that without being interfered with by a celebrity. He can express his displeasure using words, but he does not have a right to grab someone else’s property — in fact, that property being that tool used by a photographer to make his or her living as a photographer — and stop them from earning a living by filming what is going on at that moment.
"He needs to understand he was in a public place. The street is a public place. Anyone has the right to film in a public place. If he doesn’t want to take the risk of being filmed, he can choose to stay in his home where he’ll have privacy."
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