Kanye West Partially Loses in Court: Ordered to Pay Malibu Contractor $140k, Avoiding $1.7M Claim

Kanye West, or Ye, has been ordered to pay £115,000 ($140,000) to Tony Saxon, a contractor who was injured while working on West's Malibu mansion.

The award covers medical expenses and lost income, a far smaller sum than the £1.4 million ($1.7 million) Saxon originally sought when he filed the lawsuit in September 2023.

The verdict shows a split outcome: the jury dismissed nearly all of Saxon's claims, including allegations of unpaid overtime, statutory penalties, and retaliation. According to Ye's representative, Milo Yiannopoulos, the only damages awarded were directly tied to the physical injury Saxon sustained on the property. This suggests the court found evidence of injury but did not support claims of mistreatment or legal violations.

Entertainment Weekly reported that the partial victory for Saxon has also placed responsibility on Ye to cover his legal fees. Estimates suggest these could exceed £820,000 ($1 million).

Context of the Malibu Lawsuit

Saxon alleges that his employment on the £46 million ($57 million) mansion project ended abruptly in November 2021 after just seven weeks, during which he received only one paycheck. He claims he was expected to comply with unsafe requests, and his brief tenure left him severely injured.

Reports indicate that he also had to act as a security guard, sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag—conditions he described as humiliating and unsafe.

Ye's legal team has consistently denied any wrongdoing. They stated that Saxon sustained no injury, damage, or loss as a result of his employment. During the trial, West reportedly gave short, terse answers while on the stand, often repeating 'I don't recall,' and appeared visibly fatigued during testimony, according to court observers.

Bianca Censori, West's wife, also appeared in court during the civil trial and testified as a witness. She was present at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse when the case was being heard, and court records indicate she took the stand to provide testimony related to the renovation and Saxon's role on the project.

The jury decided to pay only for Saxon's medical costs, ignoring his other claims about mistreatment or lost money. Experts say this kind of partial payment is common in cases with famous people, where juries focus on clear evidence instead of bigger complaints.

Ye Has More Legal Fees to Pay

Even though the £115,000 ($140,000) payment is much smaller than the £1.4 million ($1.7 million) originally claimed, West may still pay more because he also has to cover Saxon's legal fees.

Saxon's lawyers, Neama Rahmani and Ronald Zambrano, said the verdict was a win for their client, showing how tough it can be to take on a famous celebrity in court.

However, the legal battle isn't over.

Saxon Receives Countersuit

Earlier this year, West filed a countersuit against Saxon and his lawyers over a £1.5 million $1.8 million) lien on the mansion, claiming it hurt the property's sale and lowered its value.

West had remodelled the Japanese architect Tadao Ando–designed mansion to be a personal 'bomb shelter.' He later sold it for £17 million ($21 million), taking a big loss. The new owner has also struggled, missing mortgage payments of £660,000 ($814,000).

If West's countersuit succeeds, he could recover some of the money lost due to the lien, including potential damages for the disrupted sale. However, legal experts caution that countersuits are often complicated, and the outcome is uncertain.

It could take months or even years to resolve, depending on how the courts assess responsibility and evidence.