Shia LaBeouf Seeking "Long-Term" Treatment, Lawyer Says Amid FKA twigs' Sexual Abuse Claims

Shia LaBeouf's lawyer says he is pursuing "long-term inpatient treatment" as he faces a sexual misconduct lawsuit from ex-girlfriend FKA twigs.

By Corinne Heller Dec 26, 2020 12:59 AMTags
Watch: Inside Shia LaBeouf's Controversial History

Shia LaBeouf's lawyer says the actor "needs help" and that they are pursuing "long-term inpatient treatment" for him, as he faces a sexual misconduct lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend FKA twigs.

In her filing, the 32-year-old British-born musician accuses the 34-year-old actor, her co-star in his autobiographical film Honey Boy, of sexual battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress and also alleges that he knowingly gave her a sexually transmitted disease. LaBeouf has not been charged with a crime. In the lawsuit, another one of LaBeouf's exes, a stylist, accuses him of similar behavior.

"Shia needs help and he knows that," LaBeouf's attorney, Shawn Holley, told E! News in a statement on Friday, Christmas Day. "We are actively seeking the kind of meaningful, intensive, long-term inpatient treatment that he desperately needs."

FKA twigs filed her lawsuit on Dec. 11 and she and the other accuser also spoke about their experiences with LaBeouf with the New York Times. The Transformers actor told the newspaper at the time that while "many of these allegations are not true," he has "no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations." He said he is a "a sober member of a 12-step program" and in therapy, and was not yet "cured" of PTSD and alcoholism.

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FKA twigs' lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told Variety that the lawsuit was filed after LaBeouf was allegedly "unwilling to agree to get appropriate help" when the singer tried to settle the matter privately.

"This isn't about Shia's career," he said. "This is about making sure the trauma and pain inflicted on my clients and others doesn't happen again. Shia is an admitted abuser and he needs to get meaningful help that addresses his violent behavior."

Variety said that Holley disputes Freedman's claim that LaBeouf was unwilling to settle the matter and that at the time, the actor had different legal representation.

Holley, a popular celebrity lawyer who famously represented Lindsay Lohan and was a member of O.J. Simpson's "Dream Team," told the outlet and E! News in a statement, "When these allegations first came up a year ago, LaBeouf immediately accepted responsibility for the many things he had done wrong and expressed his willingness to do what Twigs wanted him to do, almost all of which were perfectly reasonable."

"To that end, he paid for, scheduled, rescheduled (when she changed the date), and traveled from another country to attend the mediation set up by the lawyers for both sides," Holley continued. "When Twigs' lawyer cancelled the mediation, Shia's lawyer tried to get it rescheduled. Shia's position has never changed and I have reached out to Mr. Freedman to see how things might get back on track."

LaBeouf has a history of personal turmoil and turbulent behavior, some of which has forced him into court-ordered treatment. In 2014, LaBeouf pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after he was kicked out of a Broadway theater and arrested. He and was sentenced to six months of outpatient rehab. In 2017, he was arrested for public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and obstruction in Savannah, Georgia, after confrontations with a bystander and a police officer. He was sentenced to probation and ordered to undergo therapy.

"I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years," LaBeouf told the New York Times. "I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I'm ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt. There is nothing else I can really say."

Earlier this month, singer Sia, 45, spoke out on Twitter in support of FKA twigs, saying she too was "hurt emotionally" by the actor, who starred in her music video "Elastic Heart," and was "conned" into an "adulterous relationship" with him. Neither had ever confirmed a relationship. LaBeouf has not responded publicly to her remarks.

—Reporting by Alli Rosenbloom