FKA Twigs Sues Shia LaBeouf Over NDA Enforcement, Seeks Settlement Provisions Voided

In December, months after settling her lawsuit against Shia LaBeouf, FKA twigs received an arbitration demand from his legal team claiming breach of contract and seeking massive damages over an interview in which she said, "I wouldn't feel safe" with that chapter of her life behind her. She responded by going back to court.

Tahliah Barnett, better known as FKA twigs, sued LaBeouf over an "unlawful" NDA included in the settlement of her 2020 sexual battery lawsuit, with her lawyers arguing that LaBeouf "extracted a settlement" containing terms that violate California's Stand Together Against Non-Disclosure Act, known as the STAND Act. The 22-page complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, accuses LaBeouf of trying to "silence her" with a "settlement document containing terms that are unlawful under California's Stand Together Against Non-Disclosure Act."

The settlement, reached in July 2025, ended a lawsuit in which Barnett accused her former partner of sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress, and was in violation of the STAND Act, recently enacted to stop details of sexual assault from powerful people being hidden behind settlements and NDAs. The initial settlement came just two months before the original case was set to go to trial.

Under the deal reached by Barnett and LaBeouf, the singer was restricted not only from disclosing information about the acts relating to her own experience of sexual abuse but also from discussing the issue in general terms. The lawsuit, which does not seek damages and notes that the case is "about justice and law, not money," claims those terms violate the STAND Act.

The alleged violation of the settlement stems from a cover story of Barnett in The Hollywood Reporter. Asked whether she felt a sense of safety with the lawsuit behind her, Barnett answered: "No, I wouldn't say I feel safe. 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. Just, you know, moving on with my life."

The suit states that in 2025, LaBeouf filed a "secret arbitration complaint" in an attempt to collect an "exorbitant" amount of money for that supposed breach of the settlement. In February, LaBeouf agreed to drop the arbitration demand. Barnett's March 25, 2026 filing argues the underlying dispute over the NDA's legality remains unresolved and requires a judicial ruling.

Mathew Rosengart, the attorney representing Barnett who also represented Britney Spears in the fight to end her conservatorship, told NBC News that his client "refuses to be bullied anymore," adding: "This action was taken in response to Mr. LaBeouf's attempt to bully and intimidate twigs through a frivolous and unlawful secret arbitration he filed against her in December in which he sought to extract money from her."

After Barnett received the arbitration demand in December, Rosengart argued that the nondisclosure provisions in the settlement are illegal. LaBeouf's lawyer responded that the STAND Act does not apply because Barnett only brought a claim for sexual battery and not sexual assault in her 2020 lawsuit. The lawsuit counters that LaBeouf's position "defies common sense" and that "assault is a precondition of battery."

The complaint reads: "LaBeouf's campaign of intimidation and abuse of the legal system denigrates not just Ms. Barnett but every survivor of sexual abuse in this State."

LaBeouf's recent legal troubles in New Orleans, where he was arrested following accusations of punching several people during Mardi Gras celebrations, were also cited in the lawsuit, with the suit pointing to his "erratic behavior," including the public use of homophobic slurs, as evidence that Barnett's comments could not have "damaged him or his career." In a February hearing, LaBeouf was ordered to enroll in substance abuse treatment, undergo drug testing, and post a $100,000 bond as conditions of his release.

California's STAND Act, Senate Bill 820, was enacted in response to the #MeToo movement and called for restrictions on nondisclosure agreements primarily in instances concerning allegations of sexual assault, discrimination and harassment based on sex, and claims of retaliation. Barnett's new filing puts the reach of that statute directly at issue: whether a sexual battery claim, as opposed to one labeled sexual assault, falls within its protections.

Barnett is not seeking damages, with the suit stating the case is "about justice and law, not money," and is instead looking for a court order blocking LaBeouf from enforcing certain parts of the settlement, with her legal team writing that she filed "this action to right a wrong, and also on behalf of other women who are the victims of sexual and domestic violence who do not have the resources to speak out and defend themselves from predators." No judge has yet ruled on the new complaint.