Netflix and Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah, the filmmakers behind the Kanye West-endorsed ‘jeen-yuhs’ documentary, are named as defendants in a lawsuit filed by a Chicago woman who claims the film exploited her.
Cynthia Love filed the suit on Monday, and according to documents obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, she first appeared in Kanye’s 2003 music video “Through the Wire”… which Coodie and Chike directed.
The video, which served as Kanye’s breakout hit, begins with Cynthia dancing inside a restaurant… She claims she was paid $20 for her appearance.
Cynthia’s complaint is that she was in an “altered state and not capable of providing consent” at the time, and she’s upset that an extended version of that moment was shown in the ‘jeen-yuhs’ documentary on Netflix.
She says the suit represents a part of her past that she wants to leave behind. She claims to have been sober for nearly 18 years, to have worked long-term jobs, and to have repaired relationships with friends and family.
She claims the doc exposed her dark past to many people who were unaware of her background, forcing her to relive painful memories.
Cynthia also claims that Coodie told her son via text message that he assumed she was dead rather than attempting to contact her before the film’s premiere.
Cynthia claims the video has caused her emotional distress and has harmed her reputation.
While it appears to be legally irrelevant in her case, her suit mentions reports that Coodie and Chike received $30 million for the documentary. She’s suing them, as well as Netflix, for at least $30,000.
