A jury has ordered controversial US rapper Kanye West to pay $140,000 (£104,415) after a handyman sued him over unpaid work for renovations at his Malibu mansion.
The verdict in the trial in Los Angeles came after Tony Saxon claimed the rapper, also known as Ye, did not pay him properly for work at the beachside property and fired him unjustly.
The rapper’s team argued in court that Saxon was an unlicensed contractor who “destroyed” the “architectural gem” while working there.
Saxon had sought $1.7m (£1.267m) in damages but a jury on Wednesday awarded him $140,000, along with attorney and court fees.
The Los Angeles Superior Court trial included both the “Stronger” rapper and his wife, Bianca Censori, taking the stand to testify about work at the home, along with a litany of claims from Saxon about working conditions.
The handyman initially filed the lawsuit in 2023, alleging unsafe working conditions, unpaid wages and wrongful termination. He also sued for medical expenses after saying he injured his neck and back on the job.
Saxon claimed West, 48, agreed to pay him $20,000 (£14,916) per week but only gave him one $20,000 payment and one other payment of $100,000 (£74,582) for construction costs.
Saxon testified to the court that West said he could not leave the property and, on one occasion, woke him up at 0300 local time to ask why he wasn’t working.
The jury was shown a photo of a small mattress on a concrete floor that Saxon claimed he slept on while working at the property in Malibu, which West had purchased in 2021 for $57m (£40.27m).
During his testimony, Saxon claimed that West had asked him to install a system that would allow “his urine and faeces [to] be treated into fresh water for drinking and bathing”.
He testified that during another occasion, West allegedly noticed he “smelled really bad” because the property didn’t have a shower, and took him to the luxury Nobu Hotel in Malibu, where he drew Saxon a bath.
“He handed me a towel and then says, ‘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 electricity and plumbing from the home, as well as removing a staircase and replacing it with a slide.
When West took the stand, he reportedly said he did not remember many of the interactions Saxon testified to, but he did acknowledge complaining about the handyman’s smell.
West’s lawyer Andrew Cherkasky depicted Saxon as an unreliable witness, and said bank records showed Saxon was paid $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 preforming with a band and rolling on the floor.
“The lies are so deep and so wicked that not a thing can be believed that came out of his mouth,” 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, media reports indicate.
His lawyer, though, refuted that West fell asleep, telling the jury: “He wasn’t sleeping. He was bored. This is beneath him.”
West bought the home for $57m in 2021, but after it was stripped out and abandoned, sold it for a loss in 2023.
Saxon had sought $1.7m for lost wages and medical expenses incurred while working at the property, but following the 10-day trial, he was awarded $140,000 in damages.
It is the first of more than a dozen lawsuits filed against West by former employees to go to trial.
The rapper has gone through an epic downfall over the last few years over his racist and anti-Semitic tirades online, leaving many brands and companies cutting ties with him. He was blocked last year from entering Australia over his song that glorified Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
By BBC News
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