Kanye West Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Assault During Autograph Request

Kanye West is now confronting legal action as he is being sued for an alleged assault on a man who approached him for an autograph in Los Angeles two years ago. Documents acquired by The Blast on Tuesday (January 9) reveal that Justin Poplawski and his wife Tiffany Marshall have enlisted renowned attorney Gloria Allred to file a lawsuit against Ye.

The lawsuit accuses Kanye West of assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and loss of consortium. The incident, which reportedly occurred on January 13, 2022, near the Soho Warehouse in DTLA, saw Kanye allegedly striking Poplawski twice—once in the head and once in the neck—causing him to fall to the ground.

Poplawski, who identifies himself as a “well-respected autograph dealer,” claims that he had previously obtained an autograph from Kanye without any issues. However, during this encounter, Kanye allegedly made threatening statements and referenced his divorce from Kim Kardashian. Poplawski asserts that he was standing lawfully on public property when the assault occurred, resulting in severe injuries.

The lawsuit does not specify the amount being sought in damages by the Poplawskis.

In Kanye West’s response shortly after the 2022 incident, he explained to Hollywood Unlocked’s Jason Lee that Poplawski had displayed an attitude after Kanye informed him it was not a suitable time for autographs. Kanye mentioned that the altercation happened at 3 a.m. in front of Soho Warehouse and revealed he had just received distressing news from his cousins related to parenting matters with Kim Kardashian.

Despite admitting to an emotional outburst, Kanye did not confess to physically striking the man himself during the incident, as reported in his conversation with Entertainment Tonight.