Voice Over Settlement: Why FKA Twigs Walked Away From Her Lawsuit

This lawsuit was never about money, not from the start. When FKA Twigs, real name Tahliah Barnett, filed a new suit against ex-boyfriend Shia LaBeouf in 2025, her lawyer Matthew Rosengart stated plainly in the filing: she wasn't seeking any financial compensation and had "no professional or monetary interest" in the matter. On October 6, the case came to a close after the NDA was voided—she dropped the suit, but won something else entirely.

Rewind to 2020. Twigs sued LaBeouf that year, alleging "relentless abuse" throughout their relationship, including sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress. After several delays, the two settled out of court. But earlier this year, Twigs filed suit again—this time over an NDA she argued was "unlawful." According to the filing, the NDA didn't just bar her from disclosing "her own experiences of sexual assault and abuse"—it even blocked "general discussion of sexual assault and abuse as a matter of public concern." Rosengart said this violated the STAND Act, which prohibits using agreements to silence sexual assault survivors.

In 2025, LaBeouf reportedly tried to demand a "staggering" sum from Twigs, claiming that her public statement about feeling "unsafe" after their settlement had violated the NDA. The dispute ultimately ended when LaBeouf's arbitration claim was dismissed in December 2025. He then agreed to terminate the NDA, and Twigs promptly dropped her lawsuit.

Her Lawyer's Statement: A Fight for Those Who Can't Speak Up

"Twigs stood up for something bigger than herself—for every woman who has survived sexual abuse," Rosengart said in a statement to Rolling Stone. He said that following LaBeouf's "failed, and now-dismissed" December 2025 arbitration claim, this victory leaves Twigs "completely free to speak about her own experience, to advocate for women who may not have the same resources, and to support the charitable causes of her choosing." The filing also noted that the 2025 settlement was reached so LaBeouf could "avoid a public and humiliating jury trial," while also sidestepping "the potentially enormous damages he could have faced for his conduct."

LaBeouf has repeatedly denied the abuse allegations. In a 2020 public statement, he wrote: "I'm not in a position to tell anyone how my behavior made them feel. I have no excuse for my alcoholism or aggressive behavior at any point, but I am responsible for the healing. I have hurt the people closest to me in different stages of my life and want to repair those relationships." He also said "many of these allegations are not true," while acknowledging he owed these women a public statement and accountability for what he had done.

If you need help or information regarding sexual harassment, sexual assault, or sexual abuse, UK readers can visit the Rape Crisis charity website, and US readers can contact RAINN.