Rapper A$AP Rocky has been hit with a civil lawsuit that alleges he slapped a female fan at Philadelphia’s Made in America Festival in 2013.
According to legal documents obtained by TheWrap, Lisamarie Wade of Rockledge, Pa., filed the lawsuit against A$AP Rocky on July 17 in federal court in Pennsylvania. Wade claims the rapper, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, assaulted her as he made his way through the crowd. Mayers was one of the scheduled performers.
As the rapper moved through the venue, he “stopped in front of Ms. Wade, turned around, drew back his arm, and struck Ms. Wade forcefully with an open hand on the left side of her face. Mr. Mayers struck Ms. Wade with such force that she was knocked to the ground and became momentarily disoriented,” the lawsuit says.
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The lawsuit claims the trouble started as “several concertgoers, not including Ms. Wade, shoved forward to get closer to Mr. Mayers. Although Ms. Wade made no effort to move closer to Mr. Mayers, he and his entourage were nevertheless approaching her position.”
According to the plaintiff, the situation went downhill from there as members of Mayers’ entourage “grabbed Ms. Wade and forcefully shoved her away from Mr. Mayers.”
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In addition to A$AP Rocky, the plaintiff is suing his entourage, Live Nation Entertainment, Roc Nation, and John Doe security companies, claiming she was left with “physical injuries and the emotional shock…” Wade is seeking damages “in excess of $75,000.”
Shortly after the incident, Wade filed a criminal complaint, which was approved by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. However, the D.A. ultimately decided not to pursue criminal charges, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit cites A$AP Rocky’s previous legal troubles as proof that he has a “long history of his aggressive and violent conduct directed toward members of the public at large.”
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In July 2012 the rapper was arrested for beating a man inside a New York clothing store, “after the man observed Mr. Mayers using illicit drugs, and for physically attacking two amateur photographers capturing the scene,” the lawsuit says. Mayers later pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny for attempting to take the cameras from the two photographers, and the charges were dropped.
The suit also points to an incident on March 18, 2012. “Mr. Mayers and his entourage were involved in a physical brawl with several concert-goers at the SXSW Music Festival, in the middle of a performance by Mr. Mayers and co-performers, the A$AP Mob.”
Representatives for A$AP Rocky did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report