Kanye West’s Malibu beachfront mansion enters controversy again as ex-employee seeks $1M in alleged unpaid wages
Kanye West is set to face a courtroom battle over his stripped-down Malibu mansion, as a lawsuit brought by a former employee is moving toward jury selection on February 23.
The suit, originally filed in September 2023, alleges unsafe working conditions, disability discrimination, unpaid wages, unreimbursed expenses, and wrongful termination.
West, who legally changed his name to Ye, purchased the beachfront Malibu property in 2021 for $57 million and later removed its interior fixtures and fittings. In August 2024, Jason Oppenheim confirmed the home was in escrow.
According to the complaint, Tony Saxon says he was hired in September 2021 as a project manager for the renovation, while also serving as a full-time security guard and a live-in caretaker. He alleges he was promised $20,000 per week but received only one payment. The lawsuit further claims Saxon was forced to sleep in makeshift conditions at the property and that his concerns about safety were ignored.
Saxon also alleges that after suffering a severe back injury in early November 2021 and requesting time off, he was still pressured to continue working. He claims he was then terminated on November 5, 2021, for refusing what he describes as dangerous demands.
Represented by attorneys Ron Zambrano and Neama Rahmani of West Coast Employment Lawyers, Saxon is seeking more than $1 million in unpaid wages and lost earnings, as well as damages for medical expenses and emotional distress.
In a recent statement, Rahmani said Saxon has waited more than two years for his day in court and that the case will mark the first time West is expected to testify before a jury.
