On Monday, June 24, there was an informal discovery conference in the long-running civil case between FKA twigs and her former boyfriend Shia LaBeouf. Per documents obtained by Pitchfork, twigs and LaBeouf’s respective attorneys filed statements on the case. In addition, each side addressed its counterpart’s requests regarding records that should or should not be submitted to the court.
In one filing, FKA twigs’ lawyers argue that LaBeouf’s team is “improperly seeking Plaintiff’s [FKA twigs’] private financial and medical information that has no bearing on the issues in this case.” To clarify their argument, they shared requests from LaBeouf’s attorneys to twigs. Among the requests are the singer and actor’s total revenue for her January 2022 mixtape, Caprisongs, her advertisements for Calvin Klein, and her work in The Crow.
“First, there is a significant invasion into Plaintiff’s privacy in asking for all of her financial information from 2017 through the present,” FKA twigs’ lawyers contend. “Defendant [Shia LaBeouf] contends it seeks the information based on a far-fetched theory that Plaintiff’s level of income is correlated to her emotional distress. Specifically, Defendant argues that if Plaintiff is working and making income, then she does not suffer from emotional distress. This is simply not true. A person’s ability to make money, particularly how much money, is not correlated to a person’s emotional distress damages. If Defendant would like to know whether Plaintiff is or is not working, and the extent of work, then Plaintiff can provide this information without revealing her finances. However, Defendant’s assertion that Plaintiff has somehow waived her financial privacy rights by seeking emotional distress damages is not supported by any case law.”
Regarding the requests for FKA twigs’ medical records, the British artist’s lawyers write: “Defendant seeks the entirety of Plaintiff’s medical history, going well beyond the injuries that are actually at issue. Plaintiff has already agreed to provide documents that relate to any damages or injuries that she is alleging occurred because of Defendant, therefore it is unclear how the remainder of documents are relevant, and not privileged.”
“As such, there has been no reason or argument presented as to why Plaintiff’s medical history, unrelated to her emotional distress or the condition transmitted to her by Defendant, is,” FKA twigs’ lawyers conclude. “Furthermore, the requests are overbroad and burdensome. As such, Defendant is not entitled to this highly private information.”
In their filings, Shia LaBeouf’s lawyers say that FKA twigs and her team have not provided sufficient evidence to support their request for $10 million in damages, “including lost wages, lost professional opportunities and emotional distress.” They also say that “she appears to have increased her profile in the years after her relationship with Shia and her career appears to be thriving,” citing the success and critical acclaim of “Cellophane,” Magdalene, her recent tours, and more.