Plaintiff Tony Saxon was awarded $140,000 for injuries suffered while working at the rapper-producer’s $57 million Malibu beach home.
Jurors reached the decision late Tuesday afternoon in the Los Angeles civil trial over disputed compensation for the renovations. In addition to the $140,000 payment, Ye was also ordered to pay attorney fees and court costs as part of the mixed verdict. The jurors were asked to consider more than two dozen questions on the verdict form. Plaintiff and handyman Tony Saxon claimed in the Los Angeles Superior Court civil 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 construction costs. An attorney for Saxon accused Ye of maliciously firing his client, resulting in long-term harm.
During closing arguments, Saxon’s attorneys said in final arguments that the rapper owes tens of thousands in unpaid wages and overtime. They also claimed Saxon was unjustly fired after injuring his neck on the job. Ye’s attorneys said bank records show he paid Saxon $240,000 for his work. As for the injury, they said Saxon never sought consistent treatment and showed videos of Saxon as recently as last year appearing to move with pain. Ye told jurors that he didn’t know if he was the CEO of one of his companies, Yeezy Construction. At times, Ye closed his eyes for long periods, appeared to open his eyes suddenly after his head fell forward and spoke quietly on the stand. The singer also urged Saxon’s attorney Ronald Zambrano to call him “Ye” instead of “Mr. Ye.” Judges typically ask attorneys to address witnesses as “Mr.” or “Ms.” during court proceedings.