NEW YORK — Jennifer An filed a civil lawsuit in 2024 against Kanye West concerning an alleged 2010 encounter during a music video production at the Chelsea Hotel in New York. The lawsuit was filed under New York City's Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act.
An alleges that production for the La Roux song "In For The Kill" music video ceased when West arrived on set, after which models were lined up in a hallway. An further claims that West selected three models for his scene and positioned chairs so he faced her while remaining out of camera view, instructing her to sit without providing additional direction. "I didn't know what was gonna happen. I was given no direction. I was just told to sit in this chair," An stated.
An alleges that West began choking her, smeared makeup on her face, and placed his hands inside her mouth while cameras recorded. "All of a sudden he just reaches a hand out and starts choking me, and I'm just not sure what's happening," An said. She stated several crew members observed the interaction without intervention. An claims West exited the set after stating, "this is art, I'm Picasso" and "OK, I got what I want." An stated she did not physically resist because she feared losing her employment.
An stated that La Roux frontwoman Elly Jackson apologized for the incident and agreed not to publish the footage. An and Jackson exchanged direct messages on Instagram in 2024 regarding the 2010 events, which were submitted as corroborating evidence in the civil lawsuit. Jackson stated, "I could never forget that, it was horrific." She added, "[West] knew exactly what he was doing, he thought it was funny."
Kanye West does not appear in the officially released version of the music video, though he was credited on a remix version of the song. West's attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case. They argue that First Amendment protections for artistic expression apply to the 2010 interaction. The civil case has not yet proceeded to trial.