Entertainment
FKA Twigs Sues Shia LaBeouf Over Secret NDA in Sexual Abuse Settlement: ‘Campaign of Intimidation’
FKA Twigs is reigniting her legal battle with Shia LaBeouf, claiming the actor is trying to silence her by enforcing a non-disclosure agreement that she says is illegal.
Her new accusations come less than a year after the Grammy-winning singer (Tahliah Barnett) and LaBeouf reached a settlement to resolve her long-running sexual battery lawsuit, in which she accused him of “relentless abuse” while they dated in the late 2010s.
According to a new lawsuit submitted in court Wednesday (March 25), that settlement included an NDA — and in December, LaBeouf filed an arbitration case claiming the singer had violated it by giving press statements that she did not “feel safe” and wanted to “help survivors.”
Represented by prominent litigator Mathew Rosengart, Barnett’s new lawsuit claims that NDA is illegal under California state law and that LaBeouf’s efforts to enforce it are “frivolous” and “preposterous.”
“Shia LaBeouf has tried to control Tahliah Barnett for the better part of a decade,” Rosengart writes in the lawsuit, reviewed on the court’s website by Billboard. “LaBeouf’s campaign of intimidation and abuse of the legal system denigrates not just Ms. Barnett but every other survivor of sexual abuse in this state.”
An attorney for LaBeouf did not immediately return a request for comment.
The new case comes shortly after LaBeouf was arrested twice in New Orleans last month over alleged violent altercations; the star was charged with several misdemeanor counts and released on bond.
Barnett’s lawsuit is premised on the STAND Act, a 2019 California statute passed in the wake of the #MeToo movement that banned the use of non-disclosure agreements to cover up sexual assault, discrimination and sexual harassment cases.
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Her lawyers say the deal she signed with LaBeouf last year clearly violates that law, since it not only prohibits her from discussing her own allegations of sexual abuse against LaBeouf, but also from even discussing the issue of abuse in a general sense.
“She files this action to right a wrong, and also on behalf of other women [who] are the victims of sexual and domestic violence who do not have the resources to speak out and defend themselves from predators,” Rosengart writes. “She seeks to ensure that survivors … are not bullied or silenced like she was by agreements that violate California law.”
LaBeouf’s alleged efforts to enforce the contract started after Barnett gave a statement to The Hollywood Reporter in October, in response to being asked if she felt safe after settling with LaBeouf. “No, I wouldn’t say I feel safe,” she said, before adding that she supports abuse victim advocacy groups and wants to “help survivors in any way that I can.”
After giving that “benign and unoffensive statement,” Barnett says, LaBeouf’s lawyers then filed a “secret arbitration” case against her in December, alleging that she had violated the NDA. The arbitration case, filed by prominent celebrity litigator Shawn Holley, allegedly demanded “exorbitant monies” from the singer for the supposed breach.
Barnett then retained Rosengart — a former federal prosecutor known as an aggressive advocate — who argued the case was void under the STAND Act. LaBeouf’s lawyers allegedly responded by arguing that law did not apply because her abuse case against the actor had alleged only battery, not assault.
“LaBeouf’s preposterous argument should offend every citizen of California,” Barnett’s lawyers write in this week’s lawsuit.
Following more back-and-forth between the lawyers — and after LaBeouf’s criminal troubles in Louisiana — the actor allegedly agreed to drop the arbitration case earlier this month. But Barnett and Rosengart say they need a judge to declare the NDA void so that LaBeouf cannot wield it over the singer in the future.
“Ms. Barnett must be freed from the above-referenced unlawful restrictions,” Rosengart writes. “This lawsuit will determine whether a celebrity abuser’s fame and money can override the important rights enacted by the legislature.”
As of the release of ARIRANG, BTS has finally returned. And in an upcoming Netflix documentary, the band is showing ARMY everything it took to get here.
In a sneak peek for the streamer’s BTS: The Return posted Wednesday (March 25), cameras follow RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook behind the scenes of their cover shoot for ARIRANG. In the final artwork, the septet poses in two rows wearing suits, looking stoically ahead. But the documentary footage shows how much work the seemingly simple shot took, with a team of producers, stylists and creatives milling about around the Bangtan Boys.
The teaser also shows each of the members sitting down for solo talking-head interviews showcasing their individual personalities. It previews some of the questions asked — Do you feel that you’re trying something completely new? What changed the most for you as an artist? Are you returning with something familiar? — but holds off on showing any of their answers.
“They’re back!” a description of the doc reads. “BTS gathers in LA to record their album ‘Arirang’ in this documentary offering unprecedented access to the band as they enter a new era.”
The sneak peek comes just two days ahead of the Friday (March 27) premiere BTS: The Return on Netflix. The project will drop exactly one week after the release of ARIRANG, which features 14 tracks — including single “Swim” — and marks the band’s first full-length since 2020’s Billboard 200-topper Be.
The group is currently in the midst of promoting ARIRANG with a series of performances that’ll build to a global tour in April. After hosting a huge comeback concert in Seoul, BTS descended on New York City for a Spotify showcase followed by performances at the Guggenheim for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Watch the sneak peek for BTS’ upcoming Netflix doc above.
Entertainment
USC Settles Sony Lawsuit Over Beyoncé and Harry Styles Songs in Sports Team Social Media Videos
The University of Southern California (USC) has reached a tentative settlement in Sony Music’s lawsuit alleging its sports teams used hundreds of unlicensed songs by stars like Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Bruno Mars and Travis Scott in Instagram and TikTok hype videos.
A Wednesday (March 25) notice in New York federal court says Sony and USC have agreed to a “settlement in principle” that would end the major label’s copyright infringement claims. They asked a judge to suspend current litigation deadlines so they can finalize and sign the deal, the terms of which have not been disclosed.
Reps for Sony and USC both declined to comment on the settlement on Thursday (March 26).
Sony sued USC almost exactly a year ago, claiming the school’s various sports social media accounts had posted more than 250 videos featuring more than 170 unlicensed songs owned by the music giant. The list included a slew of No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk,” Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode,” Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” and SZA’s “Kill Bill.”
The lawsuit complained that USC could have afforded to buy synch licenses for these songs, noting that the college sports powerhouse generates more than $200 million in annual revenue. Sony sought the maximum damages of $150,000 per allegedly infringed song, which would total more than $25 million.
In a statement to Billboard at the time, a USC rep said the university “respects the intellectual property rights of others and will respond to these allegations in court.” USC’s pre-settlement court filings focused narrowly on the issue of venue, arguing it was improper for the California-based institution to be sued in New York.
It’s become common practice in recent years for the major record labels to sue owners of corporate social media accounts over music licensing. While platforms like Instagram and TikTok have blanket licenses in place that allow individual users to freely soundtrack their videos from vast libraries of pre-cleared songs, music companies require commercial accounts to purchase synch licenses to use their material.
These lawsuits have roped in such targets as Chili’s, NBA teams and the cookie company Crumbl. The bulk of these cases settle confidentially. Some defendants fight back, though; shoe retailer DSW, for example, recently went on the offensive with a lawsuit of its own, claiming blanket social media licenses should also cover businesses.
Cardi B brought her blockbuster Little Miss Drama tour to her hometown of New York City on Wednesday night (March 25), marking the first of two nights at the iconic Manhattan arena. Naturally, Bardi put on a special show for her city, stacked with special guests, a relentless setlist, and her trademark energy and charisma.
As the lights dimmed over a crowd diligently decked out according to the 35-date trek’s “schoolgirl” dress code, the opening seconds of “Get Up 10” blared through the speakers, setting the stage for an equally celebratory and cinematic night. But this show was deeper than that; last night was also a homecoming moment for one of the most incredible hip-hop come-up stories of the late 2010s. Just under a decade since she exploded onto the scene with “Bodak Yellow,” Cardi returned to the city that gifted her the roots and the tools to become a Grammy-winning rapper who’s also the only female MC to have her first two albums — 2018’s Invasion of Privacy and 2025’s Am I the Drama? — debut atop the Billboard 200.
And those roots were meticulously honored throughout the show. From the Highbridge-indebted grit and bravado that anchored her searing opening run of solo rap anthems, to the Afro-Latin-Caribbean colors and rhythms that grounded the party-rocking third act, nearly every corner of New York City got some love at the Little Miss Drama Tour. She even paid tribute to her strip club days by turning the night’s fifth act into a booty-clapping bonanza, soundtracked by steam cuts like “On Dat Money,” “Thotiana” and, of course, “WAP.”
Drama songs comprised the bulk of the set list, with Invasion of Privacy and her enviable collection of standalone singles and classic guest verses making up the rest. While Megan Thee Stallion was in town for her Moulin Rouge! Broadway stint, the Hot Girl Coach did not pop out for a surprise performance of “WAP” and “Bongos.” Nonetheless, Bardi treated her hometown to Bed-Stuy-bred female rap legend Lil’ Kim and new-school Bronx star Cash Cobain. She also ceded some stage time to Natalie Nunn of Zeus Network’s Baddies franchise — which, in a way, called back to her own pre-“Bodak Yellow” reality TV days.
Here are the seven best moments of the first NYC stop of Cardi B’s Little Miss Drama Tour at Madison Square Garden.
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