Kanye West Now Sued By A Paparazzi For Assault, Battery & Negligence

Kanye West Sued By Paparazzi For Assault, Battery & Negligence After He Grabbed & Threw Her Phone Back In January

A paparazzi photographer is suing Ye — the musician formerly known as Kanye West — for assault, battery and negligence after he was caught on-camera grabbing her phone and throwing it into the street.

The photographer, Nichol Lechmanik, says she was just doing her job as a celebrity photojournalist when she was capturing content of Ye.

“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,” Lechmanik said on Thursday during a press conference. “He caused so much fear that I have not been the same since.”

 

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Lechmanik filed a lawsuit this week with the Ventura County Superior Court near Los Angeles, Calif., which has been obtained by Variety.

The incident occurred on January 27, 2023, when Ye was outside of a sports academy in Ventura County where he was attending his daughter’s basketball game. His ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, was also at the game. According to the lawsuit, after Lechmanik took photos of Kardashian entering the sports academy, she noticed Ye outside of his vehicle “angrily confronting” another photographer on the street and started filming the alleged incident from her cell phone.

“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,” the suit says. “Defendant Ye then threw her phone onto the street towards oncoming traffic” and gave a “death stare” before walking away.

On Thursday, accompanied by her attorney, Gloria Allred, the photographer became emotional as she spoke during a press conference.

“He has no right to assault me, batter me or cause me to be afraid to pursue my profession,” Lechmanik said. “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 behavior.”