A judge has affirmed a $140,000 jury award to a handyman who alleged he was not fully compensated for work overseeing a renovation project at the Malibu mansion of rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.
Plaintiff Tony Saxon maintained in his Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit that Ye, 48, agreed to pay him $20,000 per week under a 2021 deal, but only turned over one $20,000 payment and $100,000 for constructions costs. On Friday, Judge Brock T. Hammond heard arguments in Ye’s motion for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict, then took the issues under submission. On Monday, the judge denied Ye’s motion, upholding a jury’s March 11 verdict.
Ye’s attorneys maintained the award and the claim itself were barred by a section of the state Business and Professions Code that states that “no person acting in the capacity of an unlicensed contractor may bring or maintain any action, or recover in law or equity in any action … for the collection of compensation for the performance of any act or contract where a license is required.”
But in his ruling, the judge said that although Saxon could not be compensated for work performed in the capacity of a contractor without having a license, the code did not bar his recovery for the loss of past and future medical expenses.
In his lawsuit, Saxon maintained he was forced to sleep on the mansion floor while acting as a security guard and fired in November 2021 for not complying with Ye’s “dangerous requests” that could cause the plaintiff to be injured.
Saxon said he often complained to Ye about various dangers during the remodeling. Saxon further alleged that workers unsafely demolished parts of the house with no safety equipment, yet Ye took no action addressing the complaints.
The day Ye fired Saxon, the singer told him, “If you don’t do what I say, you’re not going to work for me, I’m not gonna be your friend anymore and you’ll just see me on TV,” the suit filed in September 2023 stated.
When Saxon replied, “I don’t watch TV,” Ye said, “Leave,” the suit stated.