US record producer Metro Boomin arrives to the Variety Hitmakers Brunch held at nya WEST on Dec. 2, 2023, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images)
ATLANTA - Grammy-nominated Atlanta-based music producer Metro Boomin is scheduled to stand trial next month on a rape allegation, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
ORIGINAL STORY: Atlanta producer Metro Boomin accused of rape in lawsuit
What we know:
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, accuses the 31-year-old producer — whose legal name is Leland Wayne — of raping a woman in 2016, leading to a pregnancy.
The backstory:
The plaintiff, 38-year-old Vanessa LeMaistre, claims she met Wayne in Las Vegas months after the death of her infant son and later visited him at a California recording studio. She alleges she blacked out after consuming alcohol and Xanax, then awoke to find Wayne assaulting her.
LeMaistre says she became pregnant from the encounter and later had an abortion. She is seeking unspecified damages for sexual battery and gender violence.
Wayne has denied the accusations. His attorney, Lawrence Hinkle II, called the claims "false" and "a pure shakedown," saying Wayne refused to pay her previously and will countersue for malicious prosecution if he prevails.
Metro Boomin, a St. Louis native, is known for producing hits with Future, 21 Savage, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, and Travis Scott. He also curated the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse soundtrack and earned a Grammy nomination for his 2022 album Heroes & Villains.
What's next:
Jury selection is reportedly set to begin Sept. 23.