Shia LaBeouf‘s lawyer admits that the star “needs help” amid a career meltdown following a sexual misconduct suit filed by his ex FKA twigs. The 32-year-old musician accuses him, among other things, of sexual battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress and knowingly giving her a sexually transmitted disease. In the suit, another ex, Karolyn Pho, accuses him of similar behavior. The singer Sia supported twigs’ allegations, saying that he “conned” her into an “adulterous relationship” with him.
“Shia needs help and he knows that,” LaBeouf's celebrity attorney, Shawn Holley, who previously repped OJ Simpson, told E! News in a statement on Christmas Day. “We are actively seeking the kind of meaningful, intensive, long-term inpatient treatment that he desperately needs.”
Twigs’ lawyer Bryan Freedman told Variety that the suit was filed only because he was allegedly “unwilling to agree to get appropriate help” when she tried to settle the matter privately.
LaBeouf has a troubled history regarding problematic behavior; in 2014, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to six months of outpatient rehab. In 2017, he was arrested for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct, and was sentenced to probation and told to undergo therapy.
Meanwhile, the actor has recently been removed from projects, including Olivia Wilde‘s Don’t Worry Darling, reportedly due to his problematic behavior. Netflix has removed LaBeouf’s name as a best supporting actor contender from its online For Your Consideration ads for his role in Pieces of a Woman.
