The lawsuit over Kanye West’s multi-million dollar Malibu mansion goes to trial in Los Angeles today (February 23).
Kanye, who now goes by Ye, is being sued by a former contractor over unpaid wages and loss of earnings. Tony Saxon says he’s owed more than $1 million by Kanye, who has failed to get the case thrown out.
A former employee of Kanye West is suing Kanye West
The trial centers on a Malibu mansion purchased by Kanye for $57.3 million in 2021. After being bought by the controversial musician, the beachfront property – which was designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Tadao Ando – was stripped down to a concrete shell and left to deteriorate. It was later sold at a loss, going for $21 million in September 2024.
Defendent Tony Saxon, a construction worker, claims he was hired in September 2021 to oversee renovations at the property. He alleges he was promised $20,000 per week to manage the project, while living onsite and providing round-the-clock security.
But, according to the complainant, he only recieved a single payment. Tony claims he slept at the site without a bed and was forced to comply with increasingly extreme requests. He also claims his contract was terminated after he raised safety concerns.
Per the lawsuit filed in September 2023, Tony alleges disability discrimination, violations of multiple labor codes (including dangerous working conditions, unpaid wages and reimbursements), and wrongful retaliatory termination.
Last month, Kanye and his lawyers filed a separate lawsuit against Tony. It alleges that Tony and his lawyers “wrongfully” placed a $1.8 million lien on the mansion. Per the claim, they did so “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.”
Now, more than two years since the original lawsuit was filed, jury selection is starting at an LA court today. Judge Brock T. Hammond is presiding over the case, which is expected to conclude next week.
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