Metro Boomin has officially been cleared.
On Thursday (Sept. 25), a Los Angeles court ruled in favor of the Grammy-nominated producer, born Leland T. Wayne, finding him not liable in a civil sexual assault case brought by Vanessa LeMaistre. According to Rolling Stone, the jury unanimously concluded that LeMaistre had not proven that the “Like That” producer assaulted her in 2016 at a Southern California hotel.
“I’m grateful and thankful to God that I can finally put all of this nonsense behind me. Based off of how I treat others and represent myself, never in a million years would I have thought I could be accused of such a disgusting and heinous act,” Metro said in a statement following the verdict.
“Today I took a victory in court but in reality there is a long list of losses I stacked up in this year-long process of clearing my name and reputation,” he continued. “The very large amount of money and time wasted, coupled with the incalculable amount of money and opportunities that did not make it to me or my team during this time. This has been a very difficult time for me and my family.”
Metro Boomin at Variety Hitmakers, Presented By Sony Audio held at Nya West on December 2, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
River Callaway/Billboard via Getty Images
The 32-year-old doubled down on maintaining his innocence, saying “From the beginning I have said these allegations were false and that I would not be a part of a shakedown. She attacked who I am as a person and how I was raised, and I could not let her get away with that. I would never do what she accused me of to anyone. I am deeply thankful to my legal team, my loved ones, the jury, and everyone who stood by me. I’m relieved that the truth came out in court.”
LeMaistre, 39, declined to comment after the verdict, according to her lead attorney Michael J. Willemin, who told PEOPLE, “Though the legal system is often stacked against survivors, our client showed unwavering fortitude throughout this trial. We are disappointed in the outcome, but are proud to represent Ms. LeMaistre and believe that the verdict will ultimately be overturned on appeal.”
The case dates back to October 2024, when LeMaistre filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging that she was sexually assaulted and raped by the “Type Sh*t” producer in 2016. She claimed the encounter led to her getting an abortion. She alleged that during a visit to Metro’s studio in California, she ingested a drink he allegedly gave her after taking half a bar of Xanax, then blacked out and later awoke to him sexually assaulting her.
Weeks later, she claimed she was expecting a baby by him and terminated the pregnancy. Metro’s attorneys, however, maintained that the claims were false and he emphasized that he had always used protection during consensual encounters.
During the trial, Metro testified that he had two consensual sexual encounters with LeMaistre in 2016, always with a condom, and firmly denied the allegations. “For her to accuse me of something like this, it’s something I could never fathom. No way in the world,” he told the jury, adding that the loss of his mother to domestic abuse shaped his belief that sexual abusers “should be tortured and killed.”
LeMaistre testified earlier in the day, recounting her grief over losing her newborn son and alleging the incident left her unable to form healthy relationships and disrupted her dream of one day getting married. Defense attorneys highlighted perceived inconsistencies in her story, including journal entries that suggested she had considered intimacy with Metro after the alleged assault and notes from a 2024 Ayahuasca retreat in Peru outlining her plan to publicly accuse him. Her team denied claims that she had altered medical records to connect Metro to her pregnancy.
A clinical psychologist from UCLA, Dr. April Thames, also testified for the defense, diagnosing LeMaistre with “borderline personality disorder with psychotic features.” Thames admitted that the diagnosis had never been formally made before, with prior records listing major depressive disorder.
