Kanye West Won’t Face Charges For Allegedly Punching Fan

Topline

Kanye West will avoid at least one of several legal battles he’s facing as prosecutors won’t charge him for allegedly punching a fan in January in Los Angeles, a spokesperson for the city attorney told Forbes on Tuesday.

Key Facts

LA City Attorney spokesperson Rob Wilcox said the city attorney’s office “is declining to file based on no reasonable likelihood of conviction” after “a thorough and careful review of all the evidence.”

In January, authorities said West was being investigated for criminal battery, a misdemeanor, after allegedly punching a fan who asked for his autograph outside of a club, according to the Los Angeles Times.

An attorney for West, Michael A. Goldstein, told Forbes his client is “satisfied with this resolution as it recognizes my client did nothing wrong.”

Goldstein said West had “made every effort” on several occasions to disengage from this person “whose behavior became that of an aggressive stalker” and followed him to three different locations, and said he provided the LA City Attorney’s office with video, photos and witness testimony proving so.

Forbes Valuation

$2 billion. That’s how much West is worth, according to a Forbes estimate.

Key Background

It was reported in July that West was being sued by a fashion rental company for unpaid rental fees. West and his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian, initiated divorce proceedings last year. They are still ongoing, and in May it was reported his fourth attorney had stepped down from representing him. West was also recently sued for an unauthorized use of a sample on his most recent album, Donda 2.

Tangent

The Yeezy designer’s highly-anticipated collection with Gap launched in stores this month, which drew attention online for being sold in containers that mimicked construction bags.

Further Reading

Kanye West Reportedly Sued For Over $400K In Unpaid Clothing Rental Fees (Forbes)

Kanye West Reportedly Pulls Out Of Coachella Less Than Two Weeks Before Festival (Forbes)

Kanye West Reportedly Pulled From Performing At Grammys Over ‘Concerning Online Behavior’ (Forbes)