Akademiks has been named in a civil lawsuit filed by a woman in Essex County, NJ, who accused him of both rape and defamation.
According to court documents obtained by HipHopDX, the controversial podcaster (real name Livingston Allen) was sued in Essex County, NJ, by his ex-girlfriend Ziya Abashe. The case was filed on Monday (May 13) by Abashe’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn.
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In the suit, Abashe alleged that in July 2022, Akademiks invited her to his house, where two of his friends drugged her, got her forcibly drunk, and raped her. Following that, she recalls “being awakened naked in a bed in what she believed was Mr. Allen’s bedroom. She believes this was around 4 a.m. She was awoken by Mr. Allen savagely, pulling her hair, prying open her legs, and…brutally raping her.”
Subsequently, Abashe reported the alleged rape to the police, after which she alleged that Akademiks began defaming her good name by accusing her of participating in an “orgy” with the two men, and denying his own participation.
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“Mr. Allen and his two accomplices’ sexual assault severely injured Ms. Abashe, causing significant physical and psychological pain and suffering, loss of dignity, and invasion of her privacy,” she wrote in the lawsuit. “Mr. Allen’s public statements added to the harm Ms. Abashe was already silently suffering with.”
Check out part of the filing below.
Akademiks accused of "brutally raping" woman in new lawsuit pic.twitter.com/0V4oeqprpg
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) May 14, 2024
Abashe also told the courts about breaking her silence about the accusations in December 2023, when she went on Instagram Live and described, in excruciating detail, the alleged sexual assault.
“For you to pretend you didn’t do anything? That I just went to your house and I’m some thot, like we didn’t know each other for 2 years,” she said in the video. “You tried to save yourself after your friends assaulted me. Whether or not you got drunk or not. I know that when you woke up, you were on top of me too. You raped me too.”
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After claiming that a rape kit had been conducted following the alleged incident, she continued: “I look crazy right now but I’m not going to stand here and let this man continue to lie about me. That’s not what happened Akademiks, you know that’s not what happened.”
Abashe’s IG post came after the podcaster claimed that she engaged in an orgy with his friends, and that it was consensual.
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After news of Abashe’s suit broke, Akademiks’ Instagram was deactiviated. It is not clear whether the Instagram deletion is connected to this filing.
The alleged incident with Abashe is not the first time Akademiks has made headlines due to issues with a romantic partner.
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Back in 2022, he was caught on video getting into a physical altercation with an ex-girlfriend while screaming, “I’m the prize!”
A video that surfaced showed the media personality in a heated argument with his partner, which reportedly happened after recording an episode of The Fresh and Fit Podcast.
Akademiks can be seen shouting aggressively in his girlfriend’s face while holding a Louis Vuitton bag that appears to belong to her. “Respect the game, n-gga!” he screamed. “Stop this shit! I’m the n-gga!”
HipHopDX has reached out to Abashe’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, for comment about the situation. HipHopDX also attempted to reach out to Akademiks.
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Editorial note: If you, or someone you know, has been sexually assaulted, help is available. Visit online.rainn.org to chat one-on-one with a trained RAINN support specialist any time, 24/7.
