Shia LaBeouf has accused FKA Twigs of "gamesmanship".
The 'Transformers' actor was the subject of a $10 million lawsuit from his former girlfriend - who he started dating after they met on the set of 'Honey Boy' in 2018 - in December 2020, in which she accused him of sexual battery and "relentless" abuse, but he's now asked a judge to intervene in their long-running dispute because of the 36-year-old singer's deposition.
Shia - who has denied allegations of wrongdoing and wanted the case thrown out - accused the 'Crow' actress of refusing to sit for her deposition until he has his, despite lawyers having tried for a year to interview Twigs.
Documents obtained by In Touch magazine stated: "[FKA] attests that Shia’s alleged actions have resulted in severe emotional and mental distress affecting her ability to work as long hours and perform as often as before. However, [FKA] is working so much that she has been too busy over the past two years to even appear for her deposition.
"Now, with trial looming, [FKA] seeks to depose Shia first, even though Shia noticed [FKA’s] deposition first, and [FKA’s] counsel has acknowledged the principle of deposition priority.”
The documents claimed Twigs told the 38-year-old star's team she was only available to sit for her deposition on 27 September and no other day, but when the 'Fury' actor said he could undergo his on 11 October, he alleged the 'Cellophane' hitmaker did an "about face" and asked to move hers to 15 October so “she could purportedly attend Shia’s deposition on October 11".
Shia’s lawyer added: “[Twigs'] desire to attend Shia’s deposition, however, did not require him to be deposed first. Thus, Shia agreed to depose [Twigs'] on her new requested date of October 15, 2024, and Shia made himself available for deposition on October 17, 2024.”
The lawyer accused the singer - whose real name is Tahliah Debrett Barnett - of then retaliating by refusing to appear for deposition on the new requested date.
The lawyer added: “What’s more, [Twigs] has now claimed - with no explanation whatsoever - that she had ‘priority’ and that she is not available for her deposition until December of 2024. Never mind that she had been available on September 27 and then October 15.
“[FKA’s] supposed unavailability is a matter of strategy, not schedule. She wants to see what Shia remembers so she can try and avoid her misstatements. That is not a basis for upsetting the parties’ agreed upon deposition schedule, nor for deviating from Shia’s deposition priority.”
Twigs' lawyer has blasted Shia and his team for their "nonsense".
Bryan J. Freedman said: “Since the time Shia has admitted his wrongful behaviour, he has repeatedly interfered with the discovery process by failing to produce relevant documents and by failing to appear for his deposition in a timely manner. We are seeking the courts intervention to stop this nonsense.”
A judge has yet to rule on the matter.
