Kanye West slammed his former employee Tony Saxon for placing a $1.8 million lien against his former Malibu mansion, which he claimed caused him drama when he sold it last year, In Touch can exclusively report.
On May 1, Ye, 47, revealed the situation in a new petition he filed in court, obtained by In Touch.
The musician explained Tony placed a mechanics lien against his former pad on January 10, 2024.
He said the lien “purports to secure compensation allegedly due to [Tony’s work] for project management and construction-related services performed at the property.”
Ye purchased the four-bedroom, five-bathroom, 5,674 square-foot home for $57.3 million in 2021 and gutted it. He then sold it for $21 million in September 2024.
In his motion, Ye explained in connection with the sale, and in order to clear the title, he took out a Mechanics Lien Release Bond. The bond was issued by an insurance company in the amount of $2.2 million.
Despite this, Ye said Tony will still not release his lien against the home. Ye’s lawyer argued the lien was “frivolous” and “unenforceable.”
They argued that the lien was filed in “bad faith” and said that Tony was not licensed as a contractor, which barred him from brin such a lien.
He demanded the lien be removed immediately and the $2.2 million he posted for a bond be returned to him.
As In Touch previously reported, in September 2023, Tony filed suit against Ye for alleged discrimination and retaliation.
In court, Tony said he worked for Ye from September 2021 to November 2021. He said his job was to work as a security guard for Ye’s home in Malibu, that he had recently purchased.
In the suit, Tony said he was expected to guard the home 24/7. He claimed he was forced to sleep on the floor because the home had no beds.
Tony said he was promised $20,000 per week for his work. He said he was fired after refusing to do work requested by Ye that he felt was dangerous.
Tony’s lawsuit read, “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 denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
In response, the musician’s former attorney argued, “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 lawyer added, “The liability of [Ye] and any responsible parties, named or unnamed, should be apportioned according to the relative degrees of fault, and the liability of [Ye] should be reduced accordingly.”
The legal battle has dragged on for months due to Ye being without an attorney for a period of time after his former lawyer dropped him. He recently hired a new lawyer, Eduardo Martorell.