Kanye West, also known as Ye, is facing a new legal battle as his former project manager has reportedly filed a lawsuit tied to a $1.8 million lien placed on the rapper’s gutted Malibu mansion, a property now entangled in foreclosure threats and ongoing court disputes over unpaid work and renovations. According to the Los Angeles Times and AllHipHop, the latest filing centers on compensation allegedly owed for project management and construction-related services connected to the oceanfront home on Malibu Road, which Ye purchased in 2021 and later sold at a steep loss.[1][2]
The dispute stems from a mechanics lien that former project manager Tony Saxon recorded on the property in January 2024, seeking about $1.8 million for his role overseeing extensive demolition and renovation work on the mansion.[1][2] Saxon, who previously served as West’s project manager, security guard, and caretaker at the residence, had already sued the artist in Los Angeles Superior Court in September 2023, alleging labor violations, nonpayment of wages, and disability discrimination.[1][2][3] In response, West has accused Saxon and his legal team at West Coast Trial Lawyers of wrongfully placing an “invalid” lien and launching what his complaint describes as an “aggressive publicity campaign” to pressure him into paying disputed claims.[1][2][4]
That campaign reportedly included public comments from Saxon’s attorney, Ronald Zambrano, who told Business Insider that any potential buyer of the Malibu property would “have to deal with us first,” suggesting a sale could not go through until Saxon was paid.[1][2][4] West’s suit contends those statements were intended to chill prospective deals and falsely imply that Saxon held an enforceable right to block a transaction or divert sale proceeds.[1][2][4] Court filings cited by both the Los Angeles Times and international outlets indicate that the Los Angeles Superior Court later granted West’s motion to release the lien from a bond and awarded him attorneys’ fees, although Saxon’s underlying claims reportedly remain in litigation.[1][2][4][5]
The Malibu mansion itself has become a high-profile money pit. West bought the Tadao Ando–designed concrete home for roughly $57.3 million in 2021, then gutted it—removing windows, doors, plumbing, electricity, and interior walls—while reportedly envisioning it as his personal “bomb shelter” and “Batcave.”[1][2] By 2024, he sold the unfinished shell to developer Steven Belmont’s Belwood Investments for about $21 million, absorbing an estimated $36 million loss.[1][2][4] The current owner has since faced reported foreclosure threats as the property continues to cycle through legal and financial turmoil.[1][2]
This latest lawsuit adds another chapter to Kanye West’s growing list of legal challenges, underscoring the long tail of his controversial Malibu experiment. For fans and industry observers, the case highlights how an ambitious architectural statement turned into a multi-year courtroom saga over labor rights, construction costs, and high-stakes real estate risk in one of California’s most exclusive zip codes.[1][2]
