Kanye West Faces Lawsuit: Paparazzi Alleges Assault and Battery Over Phone Incident
4 min readKanye West is being sued after he threw a photographer’s phone in the street after grabbing it. The TMZ report said that a photographer named Nichol Lechmanik was suing Kanye West for assault, battery, and negligence. She was attacked by the rapper-producer in January 2023 after he grabbed her phone and threw it in the street during a heated argument. Lechmanik claims Ye aggressively confronted a paparazzo and searched his pockets during her lawsuit. According to her, she was concerned that the Grammy-winning producer might be carrying a weapon. As soon as Kanye noticed her phone was out, he approached her vehicle. Kanye approached Lechmanik in her car while she was recording him with her phone, and she was terrified, she claims in her suit.
Kanye West has been sued by a paparazzi for assault, battery and negligence after Kanye grabbed and threw her phone for photographing him back in January.
— Pop Base (@PopBase) June 1, 2023
“He has no right to assault me, batter me or cause me to be afraid to pursue my profession.” pic.twitter.com/tNUPjfmEfS
The first thing he told her was: You ain’t gonna run up on me like that! In addition, he said if I tell you to stop, stop taking pictures. During that moment, Kanye threw her smartphone into oncoming traffic. Lechmanik’s business partner, who was sitting in the passenger’s seat at the time, also captured video of the incident. They were also given a “death stare” from the Donda creator, according to Lechmanik. The Sheriff’s Department was notified of the incident by Lechmanik. As a result of the encounter, she felt traumatized and humiliated. In addition, she claims that she lost earnings because she was unable to work as a photographer and photograph celebrities.
Photographer Nichol Lechmanik Sues Kanye West For Grabbing And Throwing Her Phone On The Street
The rapper is being sued over an incident in which he pulled over and threw a photographer’s phone into the street during a heated argument. It was reported by TMZ that Ye noticed several paparazzi following him while driving away from the North West basketball game with his wife, Bianca Censori. In a photograph taken by Nichol Lechmanik, Ye was angrily confronting a different photographer, going through the man’s pockets, and she feared he might have a weapon. Lechmanik says in the lawsuit obtained by TMZ that she was terrified he would follow her – which he did. As Ye approached her, she recorded him with her phone as she sat behind the wheel of her car, yelling, “You all ain’t gonna run up on me like that!”! If I tell you to stop, stop with your cameras he said Lechmanik. He ripped her phone from her hands and tossed it into oncoming traffic, she said.
The entire incident was captured on video by Lechmanik’s business partner, who was in the passenger seat… when Ye walked over to that side of the car, she said he flashed a death stare at them. She filed a report about the incident with the Sheriff’s Department the same day. Ye was named a suspect in a battery investigation, but no charges were filed against him. As a result, Lechmanik claims she was traumatized and humiliated, losing earnings as a result of not being able to do her job of taking celebrity photos. As a result of this encounter, Ye began going straight to law enforcement when photogs approached him in the weeks following. Ye is being sued by Lechmanik for assault, battery, and negligence. Additionally, she wants an injunction preventing Ye from touching, annoying, or threatening anybody, even fellow photographers.
Imagine if stalkers called themselves paparazzi.
— Shawn Ξ (@YoumotherFUDer) June 1, 2023
Could you handle what some of these celebrities have to deal with when parenting their children?
Let me guess, “it’s what they signed up for.”
Maybe I’m wrong.
Paparazzi will stalk celebrities all day and when they react, they sue them for money. Lowest of the low
— President Tochi (@tochi__) June 1, 2023
Paparazzi should be illegal!!! You are filming a man without consent
— BIG AYO🔰 (@47kasz) June 1, 2023
That’s a crime against privacy
Paparazzis should be illegal because all they do is antagonize celebrities and then once they react they sue and try to get money. Lowest people on earth
— Kyrie’s Tribesman🤞🏾 (@NevaMiss24) June 1, 2023
— Jim Is Here To Take Care of Him (@RoastHimJim) June 2, 2023
How about paparazzi learn a thing about respecting people's boundaries. You can't walk into a lions den with a meat suit on and expect to live.
— Kenny Jr (@iam_kennybiggs) June 1, 2023