Ye Hit With $140,000 Verdict in Malibu Mansion Construction Worker’s Injury Trial

A jury has found that Ye (formerly Kanye West) must pay $140,000 to a construction manager injured while renovating the controversial rapper’s $57 million Malibu mansion back in 2021.

According to representatives for Tony Saxon, the Wednesday (March 11) verdict in Los Angeles court held Ye liable for the construction worker’s on-the-job injuries. The jury awarded damages after finding that Ye should have paid for Saxon’s medical expenses but failed to do so.

Jurors did not, however, find Ye liable on Saxon’s claim for wrongful termination. The $140,000 sum is significantly less than the $1.7 million worth of damages that Saxon’s lawyers requested, though the damages amount is expected to increase in post-trial proceedings as Ye will have to reimburse his adversary’s attorney fees.

In a statement following the verdict, Saxon’s lawyer Ronald Zambrano called the outcome “a vindication for our client.”

“Ye’s lawyers called him a liar, a fraud and a malingerer in court,” said Zambrano. “His medical records, bank records and personal family history were dissected, mocked and vilified. Yeezy representative Milo Yiannopoulos maligned him and our firm in the press. Ye’s team demanded that Tony pay them to resolve the case and issue a public apology. Most people would have folded. 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.”

Ye’s reps did not immediately return a request for comment.

The 11-day trial was notable as the first of Ye’s numerous ongoing employment lawsuits to go before a jury. It featured testimony from the rapper himself — who, according to Rolling Stone, struggled to stay awake on the stand — as well as his wife, Bianca Censori.

Saxon sued Ye in 2023, alleging he injured his back while working around the clock to fulfill the rapper’s dream of gutting his beachside mansion, which had been designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando, and turning it into an open concept “bunker.”

Ye disputed Saxon’s claims, saying he was an “overpaid and underqualified” unlicensed contractor who was to blame for destroying the value of the house (Ye ultimately sold the property for $21 million, a massive loss from the $57 million purchase price). The rapper has also accused Saxon of interfering with the sale by taking out a lien on the home.

A slew of civil lawsuits have been filed against Ye by former employees in the last few years. These cases allege various instances of discrimination and poor working conditions at his web of companies, including the Yeezy fashion line and the now-shuttered private school Donda Academy. Ye has settled a few of these cases but is vehemently fighting most.

The litigation onslaught has coincided with Ye’s reputation and career becoming marred by racist and antisemitic outbursts. The rapper recently took out a full-page Wall Street Journal ad apologizing for this behavior, which he said was caused by an untreated head injury.