FKA Twigs has filed a new lawsuit against ex-partner Shia LaBeouf, accusing him of trying to prevent her from speaking out about anything relating to sexual abuse with an “illegal” non disclosure agreement.
The singer, real name Tahliah Barnett, filed a lawsuit against the actor in 2020, accusing him of “relentless abuse” during their former relationship, including sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress.
There were delays over the next few years relating to the case, and it was eventually decided that it would go to trial in September 2025. Before this could happen, however, the two of them reached a settlement outside of court.
Now, Twigs’ lawyer Matthew Rosengart has said that this settlement included an “unlawful” NDA, which was designed to prevent his client from “not just disclosing information about her own survival of sexual assault and sexual abuse” but also “discussing sexual assault and sexual abuse more generally and as an important topic of public concern” (as per Pitchfork).
The new lawsuit claims that the 2025 settlement was done to allow LaBeouf to “avoid a public and embarrassing jury trial”, and also prevent him from “potentially enormous damages for his conduct.”
The NDA, Rosengart adds, is an alleged violation of the STAND Act, which bans agreements designed to silence sexual assault victims from speaking out about their experiences.
As an example of the NDA being allegedly used to prevent Twigs from speaking out about her own alleged instances of sexual abuse, the new lawsuit highlights an arbitration demand that the singer received from LaBeouf in December 2025. That saw the actor claim a breach of their contract settlement when Twigs told The Hollywood Reporter that she did not “feel safe” after their relationship.
The move was later dismissed, and Twigs’ new lawsuit accuses the NDA as an “continuing efforts to silence” her from discussing her experience “as a sexual abuse survivor”.
In the filing, Rosengart explains that Twigs does not seek financial compensation and has “nothing to gain from this case either professionally or financially”.
Instead, he states, “She files this action to right a wrong, and also on behalf of other women who are the victims of sexual and domestic violence who do not have the resources to speak out and defend themselves from predators”.
NME has reached out to spokespeople for both Twigs and LaBeouf for comment.
Back in 2023, LaBeouf responded to Twigs’ claims – as well as those of another former girlfriend Karolyn Pho.
“I’m not in any position to tell anyone how my behaviour made them feel,” LaBeouf wrote. “I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalisations. I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years. I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I’m ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt. There is nothing else I can say.”
He added that “many of these allegations are not true”, but said that he owed the women “the opportunity to air their statements publicly and accept accountability for those things I have done”.
