Kanye West moves to dismiss Jenn An sex assault suit, alleges ANTM alum seeks to silence him

Kanye West has moved to dismiss a federal sexual assault lawsuit filed by Jenn An, the America's Next Top Model alum, arguing that the case amounts to an attempt to punish his creative process and censor his art. An, who placed fourth on Cycle 13 of ANTM in 2009, alleges that West and Universal Music Group violated New York's Gender Motivated Violence Act by choking and jamming his fingers down her throat during a 2010 shoot for La Roux's In for the Kill at the Hotel Chelsea in Manhattan.

The filing, submitted in federal court this week, contends the allegations are unfounded and would chill artistic expression by treating provocative performances as criminal acts after the fact. West's team notes that An served as a background actor on the La Roux shoot; West did not appear in the main video, though he later contributed to a remix of the track with frontwoman Elly Jackson and producer Ben Langmaid.

Jenn An has described an incident in which she says West strangled her with both hands, smothered her face with his hands, and rammed several fingers into her throat in a way she says simulated forced oral sex for about a minute. An states the sequence occurred during the shoot, which she says was presented as a film scene, and she believed she was participating in a professional production. She also alleges to have overheard Elly Jackson telling a friend that she had observed unsettling behavior on set, a detail West's lawyers say is not central to the lawsuit but underscores the tension surrounding the production. West's attorneys maintain that the La Roux project involved physical touching common to many performances and that An did not object to her role, did not attempt to leave the set, and did not file a complaint at the time. They warn that allowing such claims to proceed could retroactively criminalize artistic collaboration in provocative film, theatre, or music videos.

An seeks a jury trial for punitive damages, legal fees, and damages for mental, emotional and physical injury, distress, pain and suffering, and damage to reputation. The suit, filed roughly 10 months ago, is the latest chapter in a long-running public dispute involving West’s music, fashion ventures and off-stage persona. An rose to fame on ANTM in 2009 and has since appeared in episodes of The Mindy Project, Criminal Minds and Grey's Anatomy. West, who remains a prominent figure in music, is slated to release his eleventh studio album Bully and has upcoming live dates planned, with reports indicating continued high streaming numbers as he navigates the litigation and public scrutiny.