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According to the plaintiff, the musician had caused her "great mental and emotional pain" through the incident
Photo: SAUL LOEB / AFP
A U.S. photographer has sued rapper Kanye West for undisclosed damages for an alleged assault. The musician had caused her "great mental and emotional pain" through the incident in January, said the plaintiff Nichol Lechmanik on Thursday in front of journalists in Los Angeles.
According to Lechmanik, she had taken photos in front of a sports center in Ventura County, California, while West's son and TV star Kim Kardashian was playing there. When she saw West standing in front of the hall arguing with someone, she filmed him. The rapper then ran to her car, snatched her cell phone through the car window and threw it on the ground.
The incident frightened her so much that she was "no longer the same," Lechmanik said. West's behavior has an impact on her ability to work, she is afraid to continue her job. "Although I'm not a world-famous artist (like) Ye, I have the same right to work as he does. He has no right to attack me, to abuse me, or to frighten me from practicing my profession."
With her lawsuit, the photographer is demanding "general, special and punitive damages," as lawyer Gloria Allred said. A sum was not named.
In and around Los Angeles, there are always confrontations between paparazzi and stars from the film and music business. Many celebrities complain that they are constantly harassed and persecuted by photographers. The paparazzi, on the other hand, argue that they can only earn enough if they catch stars in a supposedly unobserved moment.
kim/AFP