More than two years afterYewassued by a manoverseeing construction at his Malibu home, a Los Angeles jury mostly sided against thecontroversial rapper, formerly known asKanye West.
On Wednesday, March 11, the jury handed down a verdict finding Ye liable for damages related to injuries alleged by Tony Saxon – a project manager who also performed full-time security duties during construction on the waterfront property in 2021 and claimed various labor violations during the job – perVarietyandRolling Stone.
However, the jurors reportedly did not find that Saxon had been wrongfully terminated and decided to not award punitive damages as they did not agree that Ye acted with "malice, oppression, or fraud."
The Yeezy founder was ordered to pay Saxon $140,000, as well as compensation for Saxon's legal fees – a far cry from the $1.7 million in compensatory damages Saxon's team was seeking.
Saxon's attorney, West Coast Trial Lawyers Employment Chair Ronald Zambrano, in a statement called the result a "mixed verdict" that was "a vindication for our client."
"Ye's lawyers called [Saxon] a liar, a fraud, and a malingerer in court. His medical records, bank records, and personal family history were dissected, mocked, and vilified. Yeezy representative Milo Yiannopoulos maligned him and our firm in the press. Ye's team demanded that Tony pay them to resolve the case and issue a public apology. Most people would have folded," he said.
Born Kanye Omari West, Ye transformed himself from a college dropout in Chicago to an undisputable icon of music and fashion. But a string of controversies has the rapper facing a fallout. In October 2022, several companies, including Adidas and Balenciaga fashion house, cut ties with the star after he made antisemitic remarks.Look back on Ye's life and career, from his marriage and divorce from Kim Kardashian to his polarizing political statements. Here, Ye and Bianca Censori attend the 67th Grammy Awards on Feb. 2, 2025, in Los Angeles." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Ye gestures upon arriving at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on July 11, 2025." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Ye hit the 2025 Grammys red carpet donning a black shirt and pants, sunglasses and a chain. Meanwhile, wife Bianca Censori wore a black fur coat that she removed to pose in a nearly nude, see-through dress as photographers captured the couple's appearance." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Ye and Bianca Censori attend the Marni fall/winter 2024 fashion show on Feb. 23, 2024, in Milan, Italy." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Ye and Bianca Censori are seen in the stands during the UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg football match Inter Milan vs Atletico Madrid at the San Siro stadium in Milan on Feb. 20, 2024." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Charlie Wilson, left, and Ye attend Wilson's Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony on Jan. 29, 2024, in Los Angeles." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Ye attended the premiere for "The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM," a documentary by conservative political commentator Candace Owens, on Oct. 12, 2022." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
during an appearance on the “Drink Champs” podcast a few days after the event found the rapper making controversial statements on the manner of Floyd's death." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Ye and his children Saint West, Chicago West and Psalm West, who he shares with ex Kim Kardashian, attended the Balenciaga womenswear spring/summer 2023 show at Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 2, 2022." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
gave an impassioned speech about Diddy, who he called his "brother."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
were rumored to be romantically linked at the time." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
then-girlfriend Julia Fox, an actress and model, attended the Kenzo Fall/Winter 2022/2023 show during Paris Fashion Week on Jan. 23, 2022." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
temporarily moved into the venue following the event while he finished work on his 10th studio album "Donda," named after his late mother Donda West." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Easter Sunday service during the 2019 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival on April 21, 2019." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
"feel like Superman." Trump called him "a smart cookie."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
See Kanye West, Ye, the polarizing rapper, fashion mogul
Born Kanye Omari West, Ye transformed himself from a college dropout in Chicago to an undisputable icon of music and fashion. But a string of controversies has the rapper facing a fallout. In October 2022, several companies, including Adidas and Balenciaga fashion house,cut ties with the starafter he made antisemitic remarks.Look back on Ye's life and career, from his marriage and divorce from Kim Kardashian to his polarizing political statements. Here, Ye and Bianca Censori attend the 67th Grammy Awards on Feb. 2, 2025, in Los Angeles.
"In true David-vs.-Goliath fashion, Mr. Saxon stood firm against one of the biggest celebrities in the world, with the truth on his side."
Attorney Neama Rahmani, West Coast Trial Lawyers president, admitted the $140,000 "award was less than we asked for" but noted that "the California Labor Code allows us to recover our attorney's fees and costs" and, as a result, "the judgment against Ye should be more than $1 million."
In his lawsuit against Ye, Saxon accused the rapper, as well as 10 anonymous "Doe" defendants, of disability discrimination, violations of multiple labor codes, unpaid wages and reimbursements, and wrongful retaliatory termination.
Around November 2021, Saxon allegedly injured his back "severely" while working on the project. Although he reported the injury to Ye and requested time off to rest, Saxon said the Yeezy founder ignored his request. The former employee also detailed the "dangerous working conditions" he and his coworkers navigated, including sleeping arrangements located near open insulation and a lack of safety equipment for demolition work.
Saxon alleged he shared his complaints about the unsafe working environment with Ye on "numerous occasions," but the rapper allegedly took no action.
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Ye's team says accuser received 'only a small fraction of what his lawyers demanded'
In a statement shared with USA TODAY, Yeezy spokesperson Milo Yiannopoulos characterized the verdict as the jury rejecting "almost all of [Saxon's] claims."
"Although the jury found that Saxon qualified as an employee for certain purposes, they awarded no damages for lost wages, overtime, waiting-time penalties, retaliation, punitive damages, or any other statutory penalties," the statement read. "The only damages awarded were $140,000 related to Saxon's claim that he was injured while working on the property."
He also foreshadowed future legal action, writing, "The jury also found that Saxon acted in the capacity of a contractor and did not qualify for the employee exception under California's contractor licensing statutes. Under California law, an unlicensed contractor cannot recover compensation for work requiring a license
"Based on those findings, we believe the damages award is legally barred and will be seeking post-trial relief from the court."
Catch up on the case:Why Ye went to trial over his gutted $57 million Malibu mansion
Per Yiannopoulos, Ye's team will move forward now with their case against Saxon and his legal team.
"This concludes the first of two lawsuits. We now proceed to the larger and more consequential case: Our action against Saxon and his attorneys, Ron Zambrano and West Coast Trial Lawyers, arising from their recording and publicizing of an unlawful mechanic's lien on Ye's Malibu property," the statement said. "That lien clouded the home's title and interfered with its sale, destroying substantial value at the time of sale."
"The first lawsuit ended with Saxon recovering only a small fraction of what his lawyers demanded," he concluded. "The second lawsuit will address the far more serious misconduct surrounding the lien and the damages it caused."
Contributing: Edward Segarra, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Kanye West ordered to pay accuser in Malibu mansion lawsuit