AceShowbiz - Azealia Banks has set up a crowdfunding campaign so she can raise money to take Russell Crowe to court over their 2016 altercation.

The "212" star accused "Gladiator" actor Russell of spitting on her, calling her derogatory names and carrying her out of his hotel suite in Beverly Hills after a dispute at a party in October 2016. Rapper RZA, who brought Azealia to the bash, later confirmed that he saw the spitting, but claimed that she was being "obnoxious", threatened other guests and went to physically attack someone with a glass for "no logical reason".

After the Oscar winner refused to apologise, she filed a police report, but prosecutors decided not to move forward with a case as they considered Russell's actions to be justified given "the imminent violence threatened by Banks".

Azealia is refusing to give up though, and is now planning a civil lawsuit against the actor, but she needs help to raise the funds required to pursue legal action so has set up a GoFundMe page with a goal of $100,000 (£76,000).

On the campaign page, titled "Sue Crowe for spitting on AB", she writes: "Russell Crowe spit on me at a party in 2016 and denied it, had a group of people gaslight me causing irreparable damage to my acting career and my reputation as well as loads of emotional damage."

She also insisted that she isn't doing it for the money, as she will give anything she wins away to charities helping to clean up the ocean.

"This isn't about a big pay day for me, it's about letting the world know that black women are victims to the same sort of disgusting violence men in Hollywood deal out to women and it's important to send a message that black women also deserve justice and will get justice in these situations," she continued.

"So many things like this happen in the entertainment industry and it's time that ALL these perpetrators get reprimanded so they STOP this violent behaviour!!"