Keiligh Baker,BBC NewsAnd
Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty,Presenter, Fame Under Fire
Reuters
A jury has ordered controversial US rapper Kanye West to pay $140,000 (£104,415) after a handyman sued him over unpaid work relating to the renovation of his Malibu mansion.
The verdict in the Los Angeles trial came after Tony Saxon claimed the rapper, also known as Ye, failed to pay him properly for his work at the beachfront property and fired him unfairly.
The rapper’s team argued in court that Saxon was an unlicensed contractor who “destroyed” the “architectural gem” while working on it.
Saxon had sought $1.7 million (£1.267 million) in damages, but a jury on Wednesday awarded him $140,000, plus attorney’s and court costs.
Reuters
The trial in Los Angeles Superior Court included both the “Stronger” rapper and his wife, Bianca Censori, who took the stand to testify about working at the home, as well as a litany of claims from Saxon about working conditions.
The handyman initially filed a lawsuit in 2023, alleging unsafe working conditions, unpaid wages and wrongful termination. He also sued for medical bills after he said he injured his neck and back at work.
Saxon claimed West, 48, agreed to pay him $20,000 (£14,916) a week, but only made a single payment of $20,000 and a further payment of $100,000 (£74,582) towards construction costs.
Saxon testified in court that West said he could not leave the property and, on one occasion, woke him up at 3 a.m. local time to ask why he was not working.
The jury was shown a photo of a small mattress on a concrete floor that Saxon claimed to have slept on while working at the Malibu property, which West bought in 2021 for $57 million (£40.27 million).
During his testimony, Saxon claimed that West asked him to install a system that would allow “his urine and stool [to] be transformed into fresh water for drinking and bathing.
He testified that on another occasion, West noticed that he “smelled really bad” because the property didn’t have a shower, and took him to the luxury Nobu Hotel in Malibu, where he gave Saxon a bath.
“He handed me a towel and then said, ‘This is a moment you’ll never forget,'” Saxon told the court.
Saxon also told the court that West wanted to “gut” the beach house, which was built and designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando, to make it off-grid.
Saxon claimed those changes included removing the home’s electricity and plumbing, as well as removing a staircase and replacing it with a slide.
When West took the stand, he reportedly said he didn’t remember most of the interactions Saxon testified about, but he admitted complaining about the handyman’s smell.
West’s attorney, Andrew Cherkasky, described Saxon as an unreliable witness and said bank records showed Saxon received $240,000 during the six weeks he worked for the rapper. The rapper’s team also disputed Saxon’s reported injuries, sharing a video showing the handyman performing with a band and rolling around on the floor.
“The lies are so deep and so wicked that nothing that comes out of his mouth can be believed,” Cherkasky said in his closing statements, calling Saxon a “professional victim.”
West took the stand and was questioned about the case. While in court, he appeared to fall asleep at one point, according to media reports.
His lawyer, however, refuted that West fell asleep, telling the jury: “He wasn’t sleeping. He was bored. That’s beneath him.”
West purchased the house for $57 million in 2021, but after it was dismantled and abandoned, he sold it at a loss in 2023.
Saxon had sought $1.7 million for lost wages and medical expenses incurred while working on the property, but after a 10-day trial he was awarded $140,000 in damages.
It’s the first of a dozen lawsuits filed against West by former employees to go to trial.
The rapper has suffered an epic downfall in recent years due to his racist and anti-Semitic tirades online, forcing many brands and companies to cut ties with him. Last year he was blocked from entering Australia because of his song glorifying Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
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