FKA twigs is reigniting her legal battle with Shia LaBeouf, claiming the actor is trying to silence her by enforcing a non-disclosure agreement that she says is illegal.
The British singer-songwriter, born Tahliah Debrett Barnett, filed a new civil lawsuit Wednesday (March 25) in Los Angeles Superior Court against her ex-boyfriend. The complaint, filed by high-profile attorney Mathew Rosengart, targets nondisclosure provisions included in the pair’s confidential 2025 settlement of twigs’ long-running sexual battery and abuse case.
According to the filing, the NDA is overly broad and violates California’s Stand Together Against Non-Disclosure (STAND) Act, a #MeToo-era law that restricts confidentiality clauses in settlements involving sexual assault, harassment or related claims. Twigs argues the provisions attempt to prevent her not only from discussing her own alleged experiences but also from speaking generally about sexual violence or her advocacy work with survivor organizations.
The new suit does not seek monetary damages and does not attempt to relitigate the underlying abuse allegations, which were settled and dismissed with prejudice last year. Instead, twigs is asking the court to declare the offending NDA clauses unenforceable and to block LaBeouf from any further attempts to enforce them.
Twigs first sued LaBeouf in December 2020, accusing him of sexual battery, assault, infliction of emotional distress and knowingly transmitting a sexually transmitted disease during their 2018-2019 relationship. The two had met while she was cast in his semi-autobiographical film Honey Boy. Her original complaint described a pattern of alleged physical and emotional abuse.
LaBeouf denied the specific allegations but acknowledged past issues with alcoholism and aggression. The case dragged on for nearly five years with multiple delays before the parties reached a private settlement in July 2025. Both sides issued a joint statement wishing each other well while keeping the details confidential. No admissions of liability were made public.
Tensions resurfaced after twigs’ October 2025 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, in which she was asked if she felt safer now that the legal matter was behind her.
“No, I wouldn’t say I feel safe,” she replied. “I feel really passionate about being involved with organizations such as Sistah Space and No More, to help survivors in any way that I can. I think it’s less about me at this point and more about looking forward.”
According to the new complaint, LaBeouf’s legal team responded in December 2025 by filing a secret arbitration demand, accusing twigs of breaching the NDA and seeking what her side called “exorbitant” monetary damages. That arbitration was dismissed, but LaBeouf’s team allegedly did not concede that the NDA provisions were invalid.
Twigs’ filing describes the move as part of a “campaign of intimidation” and “continuing efforts to silence” her as a survivor of sexual abuse. Her team rejects any attempt to distinguish between “sexual assault” and “sexual battery,” calling such arguments contrary to common sense and law.
In the 22-page complaint, twigs emphasizes that the case is “about justice and law, not money.” She states she has “nothing to gain from this case either professionally or financially” and is bringing the action in part on behalf of other survivors who lack the resources to challenge similar restrictions.
She is represented by Mathew Rosengart, the attorney known for his work in Britney Spears’ conservatorship case. The suit seeks a judicial declaration that the NDA provisions are unlawful and void under the STAND Act, plus an injunction preventing any further enforcement efforts by LaBeouf or his representatives.
As of Thursday (March 26), no public response from LaBeouf or his legal team has been reported. The case remains in its very early stages.
The dispute highlights ongoing post-#MeToo tensions surrounding the use of NDAs in high-profile sexual misconduct settlements. California’s STAND Act and similar laws aim to protect survivors’ ability to speak out about their experiences and broader issues of sexual violence without fear of legal retaliation.
Further details could emerge as the complaint is served and LaBeouf responds. The filing has already drawn coverage from outlets including Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and others.
