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Ye Ordered to Pay Former Contractor $140,000 in Labor Dispute
Los Angeles – A jury has found Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, liable in a legal dispute with his former contractor, Tony Saxon, ordering the controversial music figure to pay $140,000. The judgment, announced Wednesday, addresses claims of labor violations, nonpayment for services, and disability discrimination.
Saxon, who also served as Ye’s security guard and caretaker at his Malibu property, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court in September 2023. While the $140,000 award is significantly less than the $1.7 million in damages initially sought by Saxon’s legal team, Ye will also be responsible for Saxon’s legal fees, which are expected to push the total sum over $1 million.
Attorneys for Saxon, from West Coast Trial Lawyers, described the verdict as a “mixed” outcome but ultimately a “vindication for our client.” Ronald Zambrano, Saxon’s attorney, stated, “Ye’s lawyers called him a liar, a fraud, and a malingerer in court.
His medical records, bank records, and personal family history were dissected, mocked, and vilified.” Zambrano added, “In true David-vs.-Goliath fashion, Mr.
Saxon stood firm against one of the biggest celebrities in the world, with the truth on his side.”
Saxon alleged that he was forced to sleep on the floor while working as a security guard at the Malibu property and was subsequently fired in November 2021 for refusing to comply with Ye’s “dangerous requests.” He also claimed that his repeated complaints to West about these and other issues went unaddressed.
A spokesperson for Ye highlighted that the jury “rejected almost all of his [Saxon’s] claims” and that Saxon only recovered “a small fraction of what his lawyers demanded.” The spokesperson also noted, “The jury also found that Saxon acted in the capacity of a contractor and did not qualify for the employee exception under California’s contractor licensing statutes. We believe the damages award is legally barred and we’ll be seeking post-trial relief from the court.”
Ye purchased the beachfront concrete mansion, designed by architect Tadao Ando, for $57.3 million in 2021. He reportedly gutted the property, envisioning it as his “bomb shelter” or “Batcave.” Three years later, the unfinished mansion, with its windows, doors, electricity, and plumbing removed, was sold at a substantial loss for $21 million to developer Steven Belmont’s Belwood Investments.
In court filings, Ye denied Saxon’s allegations, disputing in a November 2023 response that Saxon “has sustained any injury, damage, or loss by reason of any act, omission or breach by Defendant.”
In a related development, Ye sued Saxon and his law firm in January over a $1.8 million lien placed on the Malibu mansion. Ye alleged that they “wrongfully” placed an “invalid” lien on the property “while simultaneously launching an aggressive publicity campaign designed to pressure Ye, chill prospective transactions, and extract payment on disputed claims already being litigated in court.”
That case remains pending. Ye’s spokesperson asserted that the lien “clouded the home’s title and interfered with its sale, destroying substantial value at the time of sale.”
This legal battle is another in a series of public and legal challenges for the mercurial superstar. In 2022, Ye lost numerous lucrative partnerships with companies like Adidas and the Gap following a series of antisemitic statements.
Two years later, he abruptly closed Donda Academy, the private school he founded in 2020. Ye, the school, and affiliated businesses have faced multiple lawsuits from former employees and educators alleging wrongful termination, a hostile work environment, and other claims.
While Ye has denied these allegations in court filings, several of those suits have since been settled.