Jury Acquits Producer Metro Boomin of Rape and Battery Charges

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Metro Boomin, the chart-topping producer behind hits for Kanye West, The Weeknd, Drake, and countless others, has been cleared of sexual assault allegations in Los Angeles.

According to Rolling Stone, the jury reached its decision quickly, finding Metro—whose real name is Leland T. Wayne—not liable on four separate claims of rape and sexual battery.

“I’m grateful and thankful to God that I can finally put all of this nonsense behind me,” Metro said in a statement after the verdict. “Based off of how I treat others and represent myself, never in a million years would I have thought I could be accused of such a disgusting and heinous act.”

Accuser, Vanessa LeMaistre, claims she met Metro on a  2016 trip to Las Vegas. LeMaistre, testified that she met Metro bonded over shared experiences with depression. She claimed that after drinking alcohol and taking half a Xanax prescribed for her anxiety, she blacked out. When she regained consciousness, she alleged that she was in a different location and Metro was on top of her. Weeks later, she said, she discovered she was pregnant and later had an abortion.

LeMaistre’s lawsuit also pointed to lyrics from Metro’s 2017 track “Rap Saved Me,” performed with 21 Savage and Migos, citing lines like “She took a Xanny, then she fainted” and “She drive me crazy, have my baby” as evidence referencing her claims,  Variety reported.

Metro, who consistently denied the accusations, reiterated his stance after the ruling: “This has been a very difficult time for me and my family. From the beginning I have said these allegations were false and that I would not be a part of a shakedown. She attacked who I am as a person and how I was raised, and I could not let her get away with that. I would never do what she accused me of to anyone.”

The producer closed his statement by expressing gratitude to his legal team, his family, the jury, and his supporters. “I’m relieved that the truth came out in court,” he said.

See social media’s reaction to the ruling below. 

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