Ye has been ordered to pay a former employee $140,000 in a breach-of-contract lawsuit tied to his $57 million Malibu mansion.
The ruling came on March 11 after a Los Angeles jury found the hip-hop mogul liable for breaching his agreement with former employee Tony Saxon, who had been hired to oversee a major home renovation, Fox 11 reports.
The verdict stems from a two-week trial and a lawsuit Saxon filed in September 2023 against Ye, alleging the rapper agreed to pay him $20,000 a week to oversee the extensive renovation. Saxon said the rap/fashion mogul hired him to serve as “full-time security” and a live-in caretaker for the property.
According to his testimony, Ye allegedly told him, “Stay here now. You can’t leave.”
Saxon claimed he ultimately received only one $20,000 payment and was forced to sleep in makeshift conditions on the property, often using his coat as bedding, the civil complaint states. He also alleged his complaints about the living situation were ignored.
During closing arguments, Saxon’s attorneys said Ye owed tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid wages and overtime and argued that Saxon was wrongfully fired after suffering back and neck injuries on the job, a claim of alleged disability discrimination.
However, attorneys for Ye argued that bank records show Saxon was paid $240,000 for his work. They also claimed Saxon failed to seek consistent medical treatment and fabricated aspects of his alleged injuries.
“The lies are so deep and so wicked, not a thing can be believed that came out of his mouth,” West’s attorney, Andrew Cherkasky, said.
Judge Brock Hammond formally read the verdict a day after the jury
reached its decision, awarding far less than the $1.7 million Saxon’s attorneys had sought from Ye. The judge also ordered the “Stronger” rapper to pay $3,320 in sanctions tied to discovery delays during the case.The ruling comes two months after Ye filed a lawsuit against Saxon and his attorney, alleging they improperly placed a $1.8 million lien on the property. The complaint claims Saxon filed a “mechanics lien” on the mansion in January 2024 — a legal claim typically used by unpaid contractors or laborers to secure payment for work performed.
Following the announcement, attorneys for both sides are expected to review the jury’s findings as they consider whether to pursue an appeal. If the ruling stands, the court will proceed to enforce the judgment, including the previously ordered sanctions.
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