A major legal chapter has closed in Metro Boomin‘s sexual assault trial. After a year-long civil battle, a Los Angeles court ruled in the famed music producer’s favor, finding him not liable on all claims, and the producer is celebrating his major victory.
According to PEOPLE, the trial centered on a lawsuit filed by Vanessa LeMaistre, a former friend of Metro Boomin, born Leland T. Wayne.
LeMaistre sued him in October 2024, alleging that he sexually assaulted and raped her during a 2016 encounter, which she claimed led to an aborted pregnancy. The lawsuit asserted that LeMaistre had been seeking a jury trial and damages after she claimed she “blacked out” after consuming alcohol, and awoke to Wayne allegedly raping her in a Beverly Hills hotel room.
The details of the complaint obtained by PEOPLE painted a troubling picture of the encounter. LeMaistre claimed she met Wayne in the spring of 2016 in Las Vegas while she was grieving over the death of her nine-month-old son, Kamden. She alleged that they “developed a friendly bond” and that she would visit him at his recording studio in California, seeking an “escape from the pain” of her loss.
The complaint detailed that in September 2016, after taking a shot of alcohol and half a bar of Xanax, she and Wayne sat on a couch discussing their struggles with depression as Metro Boomin was allegedly going through a bad breakup. LeMaistre claimed she then “blacked out” and next remembered waking up to Wayne allegedly raping her. She claimed she was “in and out of consciousness for an unknown amount of time but awoke again at some point to Wayne performing oral sex on her.”
Metro Boomin’s Sexual Assault Trial Comes To A Close
Metro Boomin, 32, maintained his innocence from the beginning.
The case was highly scrutinized, with a Los Angeles jury ultimately siding with the producer. After roughly an hour of deliberation, a panel unanimously determined that LeMaistre had “failed to prove” her claims.
Following the verdict, Wayne released a statement expressing relief.
“I’m grateful and thankful to God that I can finally put all of this nonsense behind me. 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,” Wayne said. He noted the high personal cost of the trial: “Today I took a victory in court but in reality there is a long list of losses I stacked up in this year-long process of clearing my name and reputation. The very large amount of money and time wasted, coupled with the incalculable amount of money and opportunities that did not make it to me or my team during this time.”
The producer’s legal victory, however, is not the final word. LeMaistre’s lead lawyer, Michael J. Willemin, confirmed that they plan to appeal the decision.
“Though the legal system is often stacked against survivors, our client showed unwavering fortitude throughout this trial,” Willemin told PEOPLE. “We are disappointed in the outcome but are proud to represent Ms. LeMaistre and believe that the verdict will ultimately be overturned on appeal.”
