Musician FKA Twigs (also known by her birth name, Tahliah Barnett) is once again suing actor Shia LaBeouf—this time over the terms of the pair’s last lawsuit. Barnett is asserting that a nondisclosure agreement that was included in a settlement between the two of them back in July 2025—ending a lawsuit in which Barnett accused her former partner of sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress—is in violation of California’s STAND Act, recently enacted to stop details of sexual assault from powerful people being hidden behind settlements and NDAs.
The initial settlement came just two months before the original case between LaBeouf and Barnett was set to go to trial; although he’s made various statements acknowledging “abusive” behavior on his part in the aftermath of the accusations, LaBeouf denied the specific allegations from Barnett. (Which included that LaBeouf had directed a “continuous stream of verbal and mental abuse” toward her, which eventually escalated into physical violence.) Details of the settlement went undisclosed at the time.
This particular hornet nest got kicked again back in October, when LaBeouf took umbrage at comments that Barnett made in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, when she was asked if she felt a sense of safety with the trial behind her. Barnett’s response: “No, I wouldn’t say I feel safe. I feel really passionate about being involved with organizations such as Sistah Space and No More, to help survivors in any way that I can. I think it’s less about me at this point and more about looking forward. Just, you know, moving on with my life.” In December, that statement became the subject of an arbitration demand from LaBeouf’s legal team, claiming that Barnett had violated the terms of the NDA. (THR claims that the document is written broadly enough that “the singer is restricted not only from disclosing information about the acts relating to her own experience of sexual abuse but also from discussing the issue in general terms.”) The arbitration demand was dismissed, but it still provoked a much less live-and-let-live response from Barnett, hence today’s suit.
Notably, Barnett isn’t seeking damages here, with the suit itself stating that the case is “about justice and law, not money.” She’s instead looking to get a court order that would block LaBeouf from enforcing certain parts of the settlement, with her legal team writing that she filed “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. In so doing, she seeks to ensure that survivors of sexual misconduct are not bullied or silenced like she was.” LaBeouf’s attorneys have previously claimed that the NDA doesn’t fall under the STAND Act’s remit, because the charge in the initial lawsuit was sexual battery, not sexual assault.
The new suit arrives as LaBeouf continues to make headlines for his behavior; he’s currently facing battery charges in New Orleans after getting into a fight with two men during Mardi Gras.
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