Kanye West In Court Over Lien Against His Sold ‘Bomb Shelter’

The rapper is taking authorized motion in opposition to his former worker, Tony Saxon, for putting a declare of unpaid debt in opposition to his now-sold Malibu property. The lien reportedly delayed the sale execution of the mansion.

Kanye ‘Ye’ West offered off the meant “bomb shelter” dwelling final September after reportedly becoming bored of renovating the property into his dream edifice.

The designer lately expressed frustration in direction of his former worker, Saxon, who positioned a $1.8 million lien in opposition to Ye’s former Malibu mansion. This motion, in response to Ye, induced problems through the sale of the property final yr.

In a court docket petition filed on May 1, Ye detailed that Saxon filed the lien on January 10, 2024. It was tendered to purportedly safe compensation for undertaking administration and building companies he reportedly supplied on the dwelling.

The rapper had bought the four-bedroom mansion for $57.3 million in 2021 and offered it for $21 million in September 2024 after vital renovations.

To facilitate the sale and clear the title, Ye obtained a Mechanics Lien Release Bond price $2.2 million from an insurance coverage firm. However, he alleges that regardless of the bond, Saxon has but to launch his lien.

The musician’s authorized workforce tagged the lien “frivolous” and “unenforceable,” contending that it was filed in “bad faith” since Saxon was not a licensed contractor. In Touch gathered that Ye’s attorneys are demanding the quick elimination of the lien and the return of the $2.2 million bond.

In September 2023, Saxon slammed the designer with a lawsuit crammed with claims of alleged discrimination and retaliation throughout his employment. 

Saxon labored as a safety guard for Ye’s Malibu dwelling from September to November 2021, and he alleged that he was anticipated to be on obligation across the clock.

According to Saxon, he needed to sleep on the ground of the property as a result of lack of beds out there. He was promised a weekly wage of $20,000 by the rapper.

However, issues took a unsuitable flip as he claimed he was terminated after refusing to carry out duties that he thought-about harmful upon Ye’s request. 

In the lawsuit, Saxon recounted a confrontational alternate the place Ye warned him that if he didn’t comply along with his calls for, he could be dismissed and not be thought-about a buddy. The lawsuit learn:

“When [Tony] refused to engage in unlawful conduct or to engage in activity that would further cause him physical injury, Mr. Ye responded: ‘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.’ To which [Tony] replied, ‘I don’t watch TV.’ Mr. Ye ended the exchange with ‘Leave.'”

Ye firmly denied any allegations of wrongdoing in Saxon’s preliminary authorized case. At the time, his former legal professional contended that even when Saxon skilled damages, they had been attributable to components past Ye’s management. In the lawyer’s phrases:

“Without admitting that any damages were suffered by [Tony] if damages were suffered by [Tony] as alleged in the complaint, those damages were proximately caused by and contributed to by persons and entities other than [Ye].”

The legal professional emphasised that any legal responsibility attributed to Ye ought to be adjusted primarily based on the relative fault of all events concerned. The authorized proceedings have confronted varied delays, significantly after Ye was with out illustration for a time resulting from his former lawyer discontinuing their companies.

He has since engaged a brand new legal professional, Eduardo Martorell. Additionally, Ye’s spouse, Bianca Censori, has lately grow to be concerned within the case as a possible witness.

Last yr, Ye lastly parted methods along with his partially renovated Malibu mansion, sometimes called a “bomb shelter” undertaking, after a number of value reductions. 

The Blast shared that the rapper initially listed the property for $53 million however encountered points throughout renovations that led to a lawsuit and deterioration of the property. 

Ultimately, he offered the deserted dwelling to Belwood Investments, a California-based actual property crowdfunding agency, for $21 million. 

The sale value represented a major markdown, reflecting a lack of $32 million from the unique asking value. The purchaser, and Belwood’s CEO, Bo Belmont, indicated plans to speculate an extra $5 million into the property. 

Thiswas earmarked to treatment the damages induced throughout Ye’s renovations and restore the mansion to its authentic design by architect Tadao Ando.