Photographer sues Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, for assault after incident in Newbury Park

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Friday, June 2, 2023
Photographer sues Kanye West for assault after Newbury Park incident
A photographer has sued Kanye West for assault, battery, negligence and more over an incident that happened in January in Newbury Park.

NEWBURY PARK, Calif. (KABC) -- A photographer has sued Kanye West for assault, battery, negligence and more over an incident that happened in January in Newbury Park.

Nichol Lechmanik says she was filming Ye interacting with another photographer when Ye came over to her car, and grabbed her phone and threw it.

Video captured the altercation. Ye can be seen approaching Lechmanik in her car, grabbing her phone and then throwing it before returning to talk with another photographer.

She claims the incident left her traumatized, caused her fear it could happen again and affected her ability to work.

"I want Ye to know he cannot do what he did to me without facing consequences," said Lechmanik. "I'm determined to stand up for myself and let him know he must change his abhorrent behavior."

She said she wants to make sure what happened to her never happens to her or her fellow photographers again -- with any celebrity.

Eyewitness News tried to reach out to Ye's representatives, but was not able to receive a statement.