Kanye West’s Pockets Take $180K Hit In Battle With Handyman

Kanye West faced another $181,433.93 bill after a judge awarded legal fees and costs to the former worker who sued him over his gutted Malibu mansion.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brock Hammond ordered the payment on October 13, adding to Tony Saxon’s $140,000 jury award from March. Rolling Stone, which obtained the ruling, reported $147,000 in attorney fees and $34,433.93 in costs.

The new award exceeded the damages Saxon won at trial, though it fell well short of the $1.23 million his lawyers sought. Ye’s side had fought the fee request entirely and asked that any award be capped at $59,425, MyNewsLA reported.

The dispute over that bill followed a mixed verdict. Jurors awarded Saxon $100,000 for past and future medical expenses and $40,000 for past pain and suffering. They rejected his wrongful-termination claim and declined to award punitive damages.

Hammond heard arguments about fees on October 7 before taking the matter under review. Saxon’s team said the case required work from three attorneys and a paralegal and cost their firm more than $300,000.

Ye’s lawyers argued that the request was far too high given how few of Saxon’s claims succeeded.

The fight began in 2021, when Saxon worked at the beachfront house. Saxon said he was promised $20,000 a week to oversee the project and also served as a caretaker and security guard.

His lawsuit alleged unsafe conditions, unpaid compensation and injuries he suffered while working there.

The renovation went far beyond changing the decor.

A New Yorker investigation documented the removal of bathrooms, windows and other basic features through interviews, photographs and messages. Saxon described recruiting a crew and living at the property as demolition proceeded.

The city also confirmed it issued stop-work orders because construction took place without permits.

Ye bought the Tadao Ando-designed home for $57.3 million, then sold the stripped property for $21 million in 2024. Selling the house did not end the employment dispute or the later fight over the cost of litigating it.

Saxon’s attorney, Ron Zambrano, credited Hammond with reconsidering an initially lower amount.

“I respect Judge Hammond’s openness to consider my argument why his initial assessment was perhaps missing a critical point,” Zambrano said.

He still said the firm’s work deserved more. Ye’s spokesman cast the reduced award as a defeat for Saxon’s side.

The rapper is appealing the earlier $140,000 judgment.