An attorney representing Ye in a lawsuit filed by an autograph dealer, who alleges the rapper assaulted him after requesting an autograph, seeks to withdraw from the case. The lawyer cites Ye’s lack of communication and payment for his departure.
The Los Angeles Superior Court case plaintiffs are Justin Poplawski and his wife, Tiffany Marshall. The suit claims that the artist, formerly known as Kanye West, blamed his divorce from Kim Kardashian for his aggressive behavior.
Poplawski accuses Ye of assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence. Marshall contends that she suffered a loss of consortium due to the incident.
In court documents filed on Monday with Judge Theresa Traber, the mogul’s attorney, Brian Brumfield, requested to be relieved from the case, stating that Ye terminated their professional relationship on June 21.
“Defendant also will not speak to counsel and refuses to pay counsel,” Brumfield states in his court papers.
According to the lawsuit, Poplawski had obtained the mogul’s autograph without issue. However, on January 13, 2022, while standing on a sidewalk near the exclusive Soho Warehouse social club on South Santa Fe Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, Poplawski alleges that Ye approached him, declared he would make an example of him, and referenced his divorce from Kardashian.
Ye allegedly struck Poplawski, who then asked for an apology. Instead, Ye reportedly responded, “Apology for what?” and struck Poplawski additional times, causing severe injuries.
The lawsuit, filed on January 10, claims that Ye then began shouting at his own companions, one of whom urged him to stop the assault. A hearing on Brumfield’s motion to withdraw from the case is scheduled for July 29.
Ye and his wife are currently overseas and he set to release the second installment of his collaboration series, Vultures, with Ty Dolla $ign.