Kanye West (now Ye) is being sued by a former employee who claims he was forced to work in dangerous conditions and sleep on the floor of a property the rapper was renovating.
In the latest of many lawsuits against the rapper, Tony Saxon who was working in numerous roles at Ye’s house in Malibu in 2021, claims he injured his back while on the project and had to spend days at the property with no food or bedding.
Saxon is accusing West, who legally changed his name to the two-letter moniker Ye, of labor-code violations including hazardous working conditions, unlawful wage withholding, and wrongful termination.
According to the suit filed on Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court and reviewed by Sky News, Ye fired Saxon after he refused to remove all of the windows and electricity from his home in order to create a “bomb shelter”.
On 22 October 2021, according to the lawsuit, Saxon complained that he was “exhausted” from the long hours and needed time to rest but was ignored by Ye. Shortly after, he claims, he badly injured his back while working but his requests for time off were again ignored.
The final blow came in November 2021, when Ye allegedly sacked him for refusing to bring large power generators into the home on safety grounds.
“I said ‘Are you trying to kill me? Are you trying to kill everyone that works here?’ Saxon told Sky News.
“He told me, ‘If you don’t listen to me then you’re an enemy, you’re a Clinton, you’re a Kardashian and I’m not going to be your friend anymore. I’m not going to give you an opportunity anymore’.”
“I was a prisoner”
Ye hired Saxon, a musician who has a background in construction consultation, in September 2021 to oversee the renovation work on his newly purchased $57 million Malibu pad, according to the lawsuit.
As part of his role, Saxon says he was expected to hire contractors, coordinate workers at the house, and provide around-the-clock security for $20,000 per week. But, according to the lawsuit, Saxon received just $20,000 in total after a month on the job along with $100,000 for construction costs—he claims he is owed $1 million.
The rapper wanted to turn his 4,000-square-foot oceanfront Tadao Ando-designed property into an “open concept but off the grid” bunker, Saxon recently revealed in an Instagram post detailing his experience.
“I was living there running my ass ragged for him working 18 hours a day running…
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