Kanye West Sued by Paparazzi Photographer for Grabbing and Throwing Her Phone: ‘He Has No Right to Assault Me’

variety.com:

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent A paparazzi photographer is suing Ye — the musician formerly known as Kanye West — for assault, battery and negligence after he was caught on-camera grabbing her phone and throwing it into the street.

The photographer, Nichol Lechmanik, says she was just doing her job as a celebrity photojournalist when she was capturing content of Ye. “He reached into my car as if he were going to hit me, he grabbed my phone out of my hand and then angrily threw it into the street,” Lechmanik said on Thursday during a press conference. “He caused so much fear that I have not been the same since.” Lechmanik filed a lawsuit this week with the Ventura County Superior Court near Los Angeles, Calif., which has been obtained by Variety.

The freelance photographer previously called 911 and filed a police report after the incident. Following an investigation, earlier this year, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said Lechmanik declined to press charges against Ye.

But now, in her lawsuit, the paparazzo is seeking damages, claiming she sustained “great mental and emotional pain” and has been prevented from doing her job, therefore suffering from “lost earnings.” The suit says Ye’s conduct was “willful, wanton and malicious.” The incident occurred on January 27, 2023, when Ye was outside of a sports academy in Ventura County where he was attending his daughter’s basketball game.