Amirah Iman-Thiam, a recording artist and wife of singer and producer Akon, has filed a lawsuit against Publix Super Markets, alleging that a male employee sexually assaulted her while she was shopping at a store in Roswell, Georgia, in September 2022.
According to court documents obtained by AllHipHop, Iman-Thiam was assaulted by Publix stock clerk Jonathan Ross, who allegedly approached her near the organic snacks section—an area outside his assigned duties—and made an inappropriate comment before physically groping her.
"That dress got me rethinking my lunch break," Ross allegedly muttered, before placing his hands on her buttocks and vaginal area, according to the lawsuit.
Body camera footage from responding officers captured Iman-Thiam visibly shaken and trembling as she told police, "He just... violated me."
Ross reportedly confessed to the incident within hours and was later convicted of sexual battery.
The lawsuit alleges Publix was negligent in allowing Ross, who had a history of disciplinary issues, to remain unsupervised around customers.
A store manager later told investigators Ross had exhibited erratic behavior for months.
"This wasn't a rogue employee," Iman-Thiam's attorney said. "This was a broken system weaponized against women."
Iman-Thiam, a rising artist signed to Konvict Muzik, said the trauma she experienced forced her to cancel a 12-city European tour, costing her nearly $287,000 in guaranteed fees and disrupting planned collaborations with Grammy-winning producers.
"My creativity's gone," she told her therapist, according to the court filing.
The documents state she now relies on delivery services for groceries and pays a $150-per-hour security escort to accompany her on essential errands.
Iman-Thiam and Akon, whose full name is Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam, are devout Muslims.
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The lawsuit states that because Islamic law forbids physical contact between women and men outside of marriage, the incident triggered significant spiritual and emotional distress.
"In light of the sexual battery, Ms. Iman-Thiam was required to seek cleansing and therapy from an Imam (a priest) in Senegal," the suit reads.
"For approximately one (1) year, she was required to pray six (6) times a day and engage in cleansing and purification rituals until she was fully cleansed as prescribed in the Islamic faith."
At the time of the incident, Iman-Thiam had finalized a $4 million tour agreement with Universal Artist Features Worldwide and Quilox LLC.
The multi-city tour, which included performances in Africa and the United Arab Emirates, took place from November 1, 2022, through January 5, 2023.
Publix filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court, arguing that Ross acted outside the scope of his employment.
However, Iman-Thiam's attorneys countered that the company had no sexual harassment protocols for frontline staff, despite at least 19 similar incidents being reported at Publix stores across Georgia since 2020.
The complaint accuses Publix of transforming its stores into "hunting grounds" due to lax oversight, claiming Ross's behavior made the assault "as predictable as a Tuesday BOGO sale."
Following Ross's conviction, Publix's quarterly earnings report included a $4.2 million allocation for "customer incident resolutions," according to publicly filed financial documents.
Iman-Thiam is seeking punitive damages for emotional distress, loss of income, and reputational harm.
Depositions in the case are expected to begin in the coming weeks.
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