Kanye West Ordered to Pay Over $321K in Malibu Mansion Lawsuit

Kanye West has been ordered to pay another $181,433.93 in attorneys' fees and court costs after losing a lawsuit brought by a former worker at his $57 million Malibu mansion, bringing the total awarded in the case to more than $321,000.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brock Hammond issued the ruling October 13, 2026, awarding $147,000 in legal fees and $34,433.93 in litigation costs sought by Tony Saxon's attorneys. The decision follows a March jury verdict in which Saxon received $140,000 in damages, substantially less than the $1.7 million he requested at trial.

Saxon's legal team at West Coast Trial Lawyers had sought approximately $1.23 million in attorneys' fees, arguing that the litigation required extensive work across overlapping employment and labor claims. West's attorneys opposed the request, contending that Saxon had lost most of his case and should recover nothing in legal fees, or no more than $59,425.

Hammond ultimately awarded substantially less than Saxon requested but nearly two and a half times the amount West proposed as an alternative. The judge initially indicated he would approve a smaller sum before reconsidering his tentative assessment following arguments from Saxon's attorney, Ron Zambrano.

The ruling adds legal fees and litigation costs to the $140,000 damages verdict, with the court assessing those expenses separately under California law despite Saxon's mixed success at trial. The award allows Saxon to recover qualifying legal expenses in addition to the compensation jurors granted for his injuries.

The dispute arose from West's renovation of a beachfront Malibu mansion designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, which the rapper purchased in 2021 for approximately $57 million. Saxon, hired to oversee the project and provide security, alleged that West directed workers to strip the property of its plumbing, electrical systems, fixtures, and other interior features as part of plans to transform the residence into an off-the-grid bunker. The stripped-down property sold in 2024 for approximately $21 million, about $36 million less than West paid for it.

Saxon sued in September 2023, claiming he was improperly classified as an independent contractor, denied compensation, and exposed to unsafe working conditions. He testified that he lived at the property during the renovation and suffered back and neck injuries while performing his duties.

His lawsuit also accused West of failing to provide workers' compensation coverage and firing him after he raised concerns about the project. West disputed the allegations, and his attorneys challenged both Saxon's employment claims and the extent of his alleged injuries.

Following a two-week trial, jurors found that Saxon was an employee who suffered injuries while working at the property. They awarded $100,000 for past and future medical expenses and another $40,000 for past pain and suffering.

The verdict was mixed. Jurors rejected Saxon's wrongful termination claim, awarded nothing for future pain and suffering, and declined to impose punitive damages. They also found that West had not acted with malice, oppression, or fraud.

Citing the jury's rejection of several claims, West's attorneys argued that Saxon's limited success could not justify a seven-figure fee award. Saxon's lawyers maintained that the favorable findings on his workplace injury claims supported recovery of the expenses incurred pursuing the case.

Following the verdict, the rapper sought to overturn the $140,000 award, arguing that Saxon had failed to present sufficient evidence supporting the damages and that California law barred an unlicensed contractor from recovering compensation for certain work. Hammond rejected that challenge in April, finding that the licensing restrictions did not prevent Saxon from recovering damages for his medical expenses.

The underlying verdict remains subject to West's challenge, with the additional attorneys' fees and litigation costs now part of the financial judgment against him.