Newly filed court exhibits suggest singer La Roux, known offstage as Elly Jackson, is siding with a model who accuses Kanye West of sexually assaulting her during a 2010 music video shoot at Manhattan's Chelsea Hotel. The documents, added to model Jenifer An's ongoing lawsuit, include screenshots of Instagram messages and signed statements from people who say they were on set for a remix of La Roux's "In for the Kill."
New exhibits include La Roux messages and crew statements
In the updated filing, An attaches what she says are direct messages from Jackson, who allegedly tells her, "I could never forget that, it was horrific," along with a sworn statement from makeup artist Liz Martins. Martins wrote that she saw West "forcefully put his fingers down [An's] mouth" and order her to "suck on them," according to Rolling Stone. Another on-set witness affirms that while she could not see every detail, she remembered West standing over An and moving his thumb across An's mouth. A private investigator's reports, also attached to the filing, recount interviews with additional crew members who say they recall seeing fingers placed in An's mouth.
What the lawsuit says
An first brought the federal case in November 2024 under New York City's Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act. The complaint alleges that during the shoot West singled her out, choked her with one hand and then both, smeared her makeup and "rammed several fingers down her throat," according to reporting by Pitchfork. The suit also names Universal Music Group and the production company as defendants and claims that crew members did not step in while the alleged assault was unfolding. An's lawyers say they filed the new exhibits to counter West's effort to have the case thrown out.
West's legal response and motion to dismiss
West's legal team has moved to dismiss the case, arguing in court papers that the conduct described in the lawsuit "occurred in the course of producing expressive" art and is therefore protected, according to reporting that reviewed the filings. The motion effectively casts the dispute as a clash between allegations of sexual assault and arguments about artistic freedom. There is no public hearing scheduled yet on the dismissal request, and West has denied the allegations in other court documents.
Why the new exhibits could matter
An's attorneys contend that the messages and witness statements, created close in time to the 2010 shoot, give the judge a more complete picture and help support An's claim that what happened was nonconsensual and outside the bounds of any legitimate production work. One of An's lawyers stated, "We disagree with [West's] contention that the alleged sexual assault of Ms. An was protected artistic expression" and said the filing "sets out substantial corroborating evidence supporting the allegations," according to Rolling Stone. For now, the case remains in federal civil court as both sides continue briefing the defense motion and wait for a ruling.
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