Lawsuit Accuses Kanye West of Drugging and Sexually Assaulting Ex-Assistant During Diddy Studio Session

Lauren Pisciotta, who worked for West from 2021 to 2022, said a studio assistant served her a laced drink at West's request

<p>Bellocqimages/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images</p>  Kanye West

Bellocqimages/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Kanye West

Kanye West's former assistant is suing, accusing him of drugging and sexually assaulting her at a studio session co-hosted by the rapper and Sean "Diddy" Combs.

Lauren Pisciotta, who worked for West from 2021 to 2022, alleges in an amended complaint obtained by PEOPLE that West committed "sexual battery" after serving her a laced drink. Pisciotta's allegations are part of her previous wrongful termination lawsuit against West, in which she claimed that she was subjected to explicit texts, pornographic photos, videos and phone calls from him before being fired. She began working with West in July 2021 to assist on his Yeezy women’s fashion line and collaborate on his 2021 album, Donda.

A lawyer for West did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Saturday, Oct. 12.

A legal representative for West previously denied Pisciotta's other allegations made in her initial June 2024 complaint to PEOPLE, and added that "Ye will be filing a lawsuit against Ms. Pisciotta."

<p>Scott Dudelson/FilmMagic</p> Kanye West

Scott Dudelson/FilmMagic

Kanye West

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Per the now-amended complaint obtained by PEOPLE and filed on Oct. 8 in Los Angeles County Court, Pisciotta alleges that before she worked for West, the rapper and producer invited her to a studio session in Santa Monica, Calif., where "drinks were served to others in attendance, followed by an announcement that everybody had to drink if they wanted to stay."

According to the suit, the studio session was co-hosted by West and Combs, and Pisciotta was invited with a "former artist management client." While Combs is named in the amended complaint as the co-host of the event, Pisciotta is not accusing the former music mogul — who is now in jail awaiting his trial for sex trafficking and racketeering — of any wrongdoing at this time.

The filing further alleges that Pisciotta's drink — allegedly served to her by a studio assistant at the request of West — was "laced with an unidentifiable drug," before she felt disoriented after "a few small sips."

"As plaintiff began to slip into an altered and heavily impaired state, she felt less in control of her body and speech, and that is where plaintiff's memories of that night escape her," the complaint reads.

According to the filing, Pisciotta woke up the following day "feeling physically ill and confused" and felt "immense and embarrassment" for not being able to recall what happened after she had the drink, according to the filing.

For years, West’s former assistant thought she got roofied and made a fool of herself at a work event. Much later — after West hired Pisciotta to serve as an assistant and Chief of Staff and do A&R for him — she says the rapper allegedly brought up the night in question for the first time. During the conversation, West told Pisciotta that they "did kind of hook up a little one time," referring to the evening in the Santa Monica studio where the alleged assault took place.

After Pisciotta allegedly told West she had no memory of the studio session, West laughed and told her that "women love to say they don't remember," per the complaint.

"Up until that very point, right before that very conversation, Plaintiff was unaware that she had been subjected to gender violence and sexual battery on that studio night by KANYE WEST a.k.a YE," the document reads.

According to the amended complaint, Pisciotta allegedly felt "overcome with immense shame, discomfort and utter disgust."

Elsewhere in the complaint, Pisciotta alleged that in July 2021, during an "album workshop" at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco, West "aggressively pounded" on her hotel room door at 6 a.m., woke her up, forced "his way into her room" and said he needed to use her shower because his was out of order. Pisciotta alleges that West later approached her and "dropped his towel," before "he attempted to forcefully thrust his naked body onto and penis into Plaintiff's face" and "ignored her pleas to stop." Per the complaint, West "swiftly left" after saying "sorry" and "went about his day as normal."

The complaint claims that Pisciotta — who has alleged that West sent her lewd messages and fired her from her Chief of Staff position at his various companies a month after she was promoted in September 2022 — "could not stomach the fact that she worked for the man who had sexually assaulted her against her will while she was drugged, who then successfully lured her back into his orbit by way of a job opportunity to sexually assault her all over again."

West also faces a separate lawsuit filed in April 2024 from a former employee who claimed that he suffered “severe discrimination [and] harassment” while working for Yeezy and at his Donda Academy school. A former staffer also filed a lawsuit this week on allegations of emotional distress, retaliation and labor code violations.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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Read the original article on People.