FKA Twigs and Shia LaBeouf in 'productive talks' to settle abuse lawsuit

FKA Twigs and Shia LaBeouf are reportedly negotiating a settlement relating to a sexual battery lawsuit the British singer took against the actor last year.

The Magdalene artist alleged that the actor once slammed her into a car, tried to strangle her and knowingly gave her an unspecified sexually transmitted disease.

Sean Hardy - a lawyer for the Brit Award-winning singer - told a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge during a remote hearing that “the parties have been engaged in productive settlement negotiations and are in the process of arranging for an early mediation".

The judge said that she wanted “to give the parties some opportunity to engage in mediation, (to) see if they can resolve this”.

A follow-up hearing is set for December 15th. If an agreement has not been reached, the lawsuit will go to trial in early 2023. In a statement given to the court on June 3rd, Hardy said that LaBeouf isolated Twigs from her family and constantly threatened her physical safety.

“During the course of their romantic relationship, defendant engaged in the systematic torment and physical and emotional abuse of plaintiff."

“On multiple occasions, defendant physically battered plaintiff, inflicting serious bodily harm and severe emotional distress. Defendant sexually battered plaintiff, by knowingly transmitting an incurable disease without plaintiff’s prior knowledge or consent," he said.

According to Hardy the singer “requires ongoing medical and psychotherapeutic treatment for her injuries, which are permanent".

The 33-year old singer sued the actor last year for sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress in which she told Elle earlier this year it was a "miracle I came out alive".

"I honestly wish I could say that I found some strength and I saw this light. I wish I could say, '[It is] a testament to my strong character,' or 'It's the way my mother raised me.' It's none of that," she told Elle magazine. "It's pure luck that I'm not in that situation anymore."

The Grammy Award-winning singer went into detail about the cycle of love-bombing, gaslighting, testing boundaries, exerting control, and psychological harm she suffered with LaBeouf.

LaBeouf's legal team denied all allegations in February 2021, saying that he “denies generally and specifically each and every allegation” in the complaint.

In a statement given to the New York Times in December 2020, the troubled child actor apologised to Twigs saying "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."

However, he also said that he owed Twigs and Karolyn Pho, another woman featured in the lawsuit, “the opportunity to air their statements publicly and [for me to] accept accountability for those things I have done”.