Kanye West is facing an assault and battery lawsuit over an alleged 2022 incident that left a man with long-lasting physical and mental anguish.
Per court documents obtained by TMZ, Los Angeles resident Justin Poplawski is claiming that Kanye West punched him multiple times after he asked the rapper for an autograph.
Video from the alleged attack shows Poplawski lying on the ground but does not include the actual confrontation. According to Poplawski, however, he was waiting outside a hotel to get Kanye West’s autograph in January 2022.
A self-proclaimed well-respected autograph dealer in the LA area, Poplawski says he has obtained Kanye’s autograph in the past without incident. This time, though, Poplawski says the rapper exploded in anger, yelling, “I’m going to make a f—ing example out of you” before referencing his “f—ing divorce” from Kim Kardashian.
The suit alleges Kanye West then shouted “Go the f— [out of] here before I beat you the f— up. I’m going to make a f—ing example out of you.”
Following the tirade, West allegedly struck Poplawski before asking, “So do you want to get attacked for real?”
Justin Poplawski says he demanded an apology from his attacker. Rather than apologizing, however, Kanye West simply said, “Apology for what?”
This question, Poplawski said, was followed by a barrage of strikes from West, “severely injuring” the autograph seeker.
Poplawski claims one of West’s companions attempted to stop the attack. Kanye West told them to “go to the f—ing house and get my f—ing kids.”
Autograph Dealer Suing Kanye West for Damages
Justin Poplawski is now suing West for damages, claiming he’s disfigured from the attack and has endured mental pain and suffering. The autograph dealer’s wife is also suing for loss of consortium, claiming she lost the companionship of her husband in the wake of the attack.
In a subsequent interview with Jason Lee for “Hollywood Unlocked,” Kanye West spoke out about the altercation.
“It was 3 a.m. in front of the warehouse,” West recalled. “And this dude just, he just had this real attitude, like, ‘Whatchu gonna do? And see that?’ Imma just tell you, that blue COVID mask ain’t stop that knockout, you know what I’m saying.”
West explained that Poplawski’s “taunting, disrespect, [and] disregard for [his] privacy” set him off. He was also upset over a parenting disagreement with his ex, Kim Kardashian, at the time. This “added to [him] being in a mood where [he] was like, ‘I am not going to have this.’”