Kanye West, now legally known as Ye, has been found liable in a lawsuit brought by former project manager Tony Saxon over work at his Malibu mansion, but the outcome was far from a total win for the plaintiff. As reported by Variety, the jury awarded Saxon $140,000, plus attorneys’ fees and court costs, which is significantly less than the $1.7 million in compensatory damages his legal team had requested.
According to media resources, the jury agreed with Saxon on some important points. It found that he qualified as an employee for certain purposes and that he was injured on the job while working on Ye’s Malibu property. However, the jury rejected other major claims, including wrongful termination, and did not award punitive damages, lost wages, overtime, waiting-time penalties, retaliation damages, or other statutory penalties.
That mixed verdict led both sides to claim partial victory.
Saxon’s legal team called the decision a vindication, arguing that Ye’s side had tried to discredit their client throughout the trial. They also said that once legal fees and costs are added, the total judgment could eventually exceed $1 million, as noted by Variety.
Ye’s team, meanwhile, emphasized that the jury rejected most of the plaintiff’s claims and awarded only a small fraction of what had originally been demanded. They also said they plan to challenge the damages award through post-trial relief and continue pursuing a separate lawsuit against Saxon and his attorneys related to a mechanic’s lien placed on the Malibu property.
The case centered around Saxon’s claims that Ye had hired him for an extensive renovation project at the architecturally notable Malibu beach house designed by Tadao Ando. Saxon alleged that he had been promised $20,000 per week, though he said he received only one such payment, along with $100,000 for construction costs. He also claimed he suffered serious back and neck injuries while working on the property.
Variety reported that one of the stranger elements of the trial involved allegations that Ye wanted to strip the mansion down dramatically, removing parts of its infrastructure in an effort to take it off the grid. Saxon also testified that he was effectively forced into round-the-clock duties as both project manager and security guard while the property was being dismantled.
Ye and Bianca Censori both took the stand late in the trial, although Ye reportedly answered many questions by saying he did not remember. Variety also noted that his attorney pushed back against reports suggesting he had fallen asleep during testimony, insisting instead that he was simply bored.
In the end, the verdict gives Saxon a legal win, but a much smaller financial one than his team had sought. For Ye, it is still a loss in court, but not nearly as severe as it could have been.
As sourced by Variety, this was only the first of two legal battles tied to the Malibu mansion dispute, so the broader fallout may not be over yet.