A Los Angeles jury has ordered Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, to pay $140,000 to a former handyman who said he was injured and underpaid while overseeing renovations at the Tadao Ando-designed Malibu beachfront house. The verdict, delivered Wednesday, capped a two-week civil trial in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The jury awarded the $140,000 to Tony Saxon after deliberations, a far cry from the roughly $1.7 million he had asked for. Ye is also on the hook for Saxon’s attorney fees and court costs, which are expected to push the total tab past $1 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. Saxon’s legal team cast the outcome as a mixed vindication that recognized his injuries but fell short of his full claims.
How Jurors Apportioned Damages
Jurors earmarked $100,000 for past and future medical expenses and $40,000 for past pain and suffering, while declining to award punitive damages or compensation for future pain and suffering, as Rolling Stone reported. The panel found that Saxon was injured on the job but rejected several of his other allegations, which kept the damages figure comparatively contained. Depending on how the court rules on legal fees and costs, Ye’s final bill could climb significantly higher than the jury’s base award.
Allegations In The Lawsuit
Saxon says he was brought on in 2021 to manage the renovation and provide round-the-clock security at a promised rate of $20,000 per week but received only a single weekly payment, plus $100,000 designated for construction expenses, according to reporting in the Santa Monica Mirror. Court filings accuse the project of unsafe demolition work without proper safety gear and claim Saxon was made to sleep on the mansion floor before being fired in November 2021. He filed suit in September 2023, seeking about $1.7 million in damages.
Courtroom Moments And What Comes Next
Ye took the stand during the trial but gave brief, sometimes halting answers and at points appeared to nod off, telling one lawyer "I'm not sure" when pressed on basic details, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. His team emphasized that jurors rejected most of Saxon’s broader claims and has signaled it will seek post-trial relief. Separately, the artist has launched his own litigation over a mechanics lien recorded against the Malibu property.
Legal Angle
Because Saxon’s case centers on on-the-job injury and wage claims, his attorneys argue that California law allows recovery of attorney fees and court costs on top of the jury award, likely pushing Ye’s total payout beyond the $140,000 in damages. Ye’s lawyers, for their part, say they plan to pursue counterclaims tied to what they describe as an invalid mechanic’s lien and other conduct surrounding the sale of the Ando house, according to Variety. For Malibu neighbors and architecture watchers, the verdict closes one chapter in the saga of the famed concrete home while leaving a tangle of legal fights still working their way through the courts.
