British musician FKA Twigs has filed a new lawsuit against her ex-boyfriend Shia LaBeoufclaiming he used an “illegal” non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in an attempt to silence her.
The legal dispute follows allegations made in 2020 by FKA Twigs, whose legal name is Tahliah Barnett, who accused LaBeouf of assault, sexual assault and infliction of emotional distress. She dismissed her case in July 2025 against the 39-year-old actor.
In a legal complaint filed Wednesday, Barnett, 38, claims LaBeouf tried to silence her through a document settlement that violated California’s Stand Together Against Nondisclosure (STAND) Act, which prohibits confidentiality clauses in settlements involving sexual assault, sexual harassment or sexual harassment.
In the lawsuit secured by Variety, NBC News AND Rolling StoneBarnett’s lawyers claim that the following case 2020LaBeouf “sought a settlement” that included terms deemed “unlawful” under the STAND Act.
The lawsuit further alleges that in 2025, LaBeouf filed a “secret arbitration complaint” seeking an “excessive” amount of money for an alleged breach of the 2020 agreement.
LaBeouf claimed that Barnett violated the NDA in an interview with the Hollywood Reporterwhen she was asked if she felt a “sense of security with the chapter behind her” after the case was dismissed.
“No, I wouldn’t say I feel safe,” she replied. “I feel very passionate about being involved with organizations like Sistah Space and No More, helping survivors in any way 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.”
Get daily national news
Get Canada’s daily news delivered to your inbox so you never miss the top news of the day.
The lawsuit adds that “even if the NDA provisions in question were legal,” Barnett’s statements in the October 2025 interview were “laudable, general and good.”
“LaBeouf’s campaign of intimidation and abuse of the legal system denigrates not only Mr. Barnett, but every survivor of sexual abuse in this state,” the lawsuit states.
“As the California Legislature has made clear, survivors must have the right to tell their stories without fear or coercion, and California law does not and should not allow abusers and harassers to silence them through nondisclosure agreements that contain unconscionable and illegal gag orders.
“In other words, the settlement seeks not only to silence Ms. Barnett about her story as a survivor, but to silence her from supporting other survivors as well.”
Barnett’s lawyers claim she was “forced” to file the new motion as a way to fight LaBeouf’s “misguided, legally abusive position”: that he is somehow not covered by the STAND Act because he was allegedly sued by Ms. Matters of common sense and law, the STAND Act covers both.”
Barnett is seeking declaratory relief from a judge’s and attorney’s fees in the case.
“If Ms. Barnett — a successful artist and cultural icon — can be silenced and intimidated for years, then any woman who has been a victim of sexual abuse can be silenced, especially those with fewer resources or access to the system,” the complaint states.
“This lawsuit will determine whether a celebrity abuser’s fame and money can override important rights enacted by the Legislature.”
Matthew Rosengart, an attorney for Barnett, said his client “refuses to be bullied anymore.”
“This action was taken in response to Mr. LaBeouf’s attempt to harass and intimidate Twigs through a frivolous and illegal secret arbitration he filed against her in December in which he sought to extract money from her,” Rosengart said in a statement to NBC News.
Last July, LaBeouf and Barnett released a joint statement released by their attorneys after the 2020 case was dismissed.
“Committed to creating a constructive path forward, we have agreed to settle our case out of court,” LaBeouf and Barnett said. “While the details of the settlement will remain private, we wish each other personal happiness, professional success and peace in the future.”
The two met and became a couple in 2018 after Barnett was given a supporting role Dear boyan autobiographical film about LaBeouf’s upbringing as a child actor.
Barnett’s new legal filing comes after LaBeouf was ordered by a New Orleans judge enroll in drug and alcohol rehabilitation after he was charged with two counts of battery an alleged assault outside a bar during Mardi Gras.
Orleans Parish Criminal Court Judge Simone Levine ordered LaBeouf to submit to weekly drug tests, including one at the courthouse, and set bail at $100,000. LaBeouf agreed, and his lawyer said the test showed no illegal substances in his system.
The New Orleans Police Department previously said a staff member had tried to remove LaBeouf from a business, but the actor struck the man several times with closed fists. They claimed that transformer the actor was causing a disturbance and becoming increasingly aggressive at a business on Royal Street in the early hours of February 17.
LaBeouf has posted a bond and has yet to formally enter a plea to the charges.
LaBeouf and his representatives have not commented publicly on Barnett’s legal filing as of this writing.
— with files from The Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
