Kanye West is being sued by a photographer whose phone he threw into the street following a confrontation back in January.
Photographer Nichol Lechmanik, 45, is suing West for assault, battery and negligence, according to the lawsuit obtained by TMZ.
She claims the encounter left her traumatized and humiliated, and that she lost earnings as she was unable to return to her occupation of photographing celebrities.
The incident began after West realized several photographers were following him after he attended his daughter North West’s basketball game with his ‘wife’ Bianca Censori.
In the suit, Lechmanik claims an angry West was having a back-and-forth with another photographer and allegedly went through his pockets. Lechmanik alleges she feared West may have been carrying a weapon.
Legal battle: Kanye West is being sued by a photographer whose phone he threw into the street following a confrontation back in January; pictured 2019 in NYC
Lechmanik, who is being represented by lawyer Gloria Allred, claims she was terrified he would approach her after his exchange with the other photographer.
West did end up approaching Lechmanik, and video of their encounter sees the rapper telling her as she films him from the driver’s seat: ‘You didn’t have to run up on me like that.
‘If I say stop… stop with your cameras!’ Kanye continued.
Their exchange ended with Kanye grabbing Lechmanik’s cellphone from her hand and tossing it into the street. She claims the phone landed in oncoming traffic.
Lechmanik’s business partner was filming from the passenger’s seat and caught the whole encounter on camera.
She claims West made his way to her side of the vehicle and gave her a ‘death stare.’
Lechmanik filed a report at the Sheriff’s Department later that day.
She is also seeking an injunction blocking Kanye from ‘touching, annoying or threatening not just herself, but any photographer,’ according to TMZ.
Kanye was initially named a suspect in a battery investigation into the incident, but he ended up not being charged.
Confrontation: West did end up approaching Lechmanik, and video of their encounter sees the rapper telling her as she films him from the driver’s seat: ‘You didn’t have to run up on me like that
Home life: The incident occurred the same month he ‘married’ his wife Bianca; pictured May 2023
According to TMZ, the Ventura Co. District Attorney’s Office revealed that the cellphone had only suffered ‘minor damage’ to its $30 protective case. In their release, they stated the photographer had decided not to press charges.
The incident occurred the same month he ‘married’ his wife Bianca.
Bianca and Kanye’s unorthodox union was reportedly sealed in January, when TMZ reported that West and Censori had obtained a marriage certificate. They reportedly tied the knot in a non-legally binding ceremony.
Bianca has been employed by West’s Yeezy brand since joining the company in November 2020