The musician FKA twigs is suing the actor Shia LaBeouf, a former boyfriend whom she previously accused of abuse, and accusing him in court papers of trying to silence her with a nondisclosure agreement that was illegal.
The filing is the latest in a long legal battle between the two, who dated in 2018-19.
Less than a year ago, Mr. LaBeouf settled a suit FKA twigs brought against him in December 2020, in which she publicly described “relentless abuse” in their relationship. The terms of the deal were confidential, their lawyers said at the time.
In the new suit, filed in Los Angeles on Wednesday, FKA twigs, 38, contends that an arbitration complaint that Mr. LaBeouf, 39, made against her in December 2025 for violating the terms of an NDA included in the settlement was unlawful, because the NDA itself violated a California law known as the STAND Act. Passed in 2018, the law bans confidentiality provisions in settlements for sexual harassment, assault and discrimination cases (unless requested by the plaintiff).
The lawsuit said Mr. LaBeouf’s complaint related to an interview FKA twigs gave to The Hollywood Reporter last year, in which she was asked if she felt “a sense of safety.” FKA twigs answered that she did not “feel safe,” and talked about her involvement with organizations that support survivors of abuse. “I think it’s less about me at this point and more about looking forward,” she said. “Just, you know, moving on with my life.”
Her statements did not violate anything, the filing said. Mathew Rosengart, a lawyer for FKA twigs, said that Mr. LaBeouf’s arbitration complaint was “an attempt to bully and intimidate” her and “extract money.”
Shawn Holley, a lawyer for Mr. LaBeouf, said that they were “surprised” by the contention that FKA twigs was being “silenced” and said the singer had signed the settlement agreement following “a months-long mediation, presided over by one of the most respected mediators in the country,” a former judge, and during which she was represented by counsel.
In her 2020 filing, FKA twigs had said Mr. LaBeouf knowingly gave her a sexually transmitted disease, choked her and threatened her as she became isolated from friends and family.
Mr. LaBeouf disputed some of the allegations in an email to The Times when the suit was filed. But he also apologized: “I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I’m ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt.”
Ms. Holley said that Mr. LaBeouf withdrew his arbitration complaint, which contested whether he was covered under the STAND Act, “at the request of” Mr. Rosengart.
Last July, when FKA twigs asked a court in Los Angeles to dismiss the original suit, lawyers for FKA twigs and Mr. LaBeouf jointly described the settlement as “forging a constructive path forward.” In a statement on Thursday, Ms. Holley said that FKA twigs chose “to settle the case and accepted money to dismiss her lawsuit.”
FKA twigs is not seeking damages in her new lawsuit. “This is the unusual case that is not about money but about upholding and enforcing California law and policy designed to protect survivors by nullifying illegal NDAs,” Mr. Rosengart said in a statement. Throughout her legal entanglements with Mr. LaBeouf, FKA twigs, a Grammy-winning British artist born Tahliah Debrett Barnett, has said that she wanted to speak publicly about the issues to raise awareness about abuse and to advocate for survivors.
Mr. LaBeouf, known for his work in films like “Megalopolis” and “Transformers,” was arrested last month in New Orleans, and charged with two counts of simple battery, after the police responded to reports of an assault on two people.
The suit says Mr. LaBeouf spoke about his behavior and his relationship with FKA twigs in what were “material breaches of the same settlement agreement he was purporting to enforce.” The court papers cite a lengthy interview with the YouTube personality Andrew Callaghan late last month where, among other things, he said of his former girlfriend, “She’s a good girl.”
Julia Jacobs contributed additional reporting.
Melena Ryzik is a roving culture reporter at The Times, covering the personalities, projects and ideas that drive the creative world.
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