Kanye West reportedly struggled to stay awake in court this week while testifying as part of a renovation lawsuit.
The artist now known as Ye was in the court on Friday (March 6) to face handyman Tony Saxon, who is suing the hitmaker for alleged unpaid wages, unsafe working conditions, and wrongful termination — in relation to a former Malibu mansion that Ye purchased for $57 million in 2021.
According to Rolling Stone reporter Nancy Dillon, West yawned repeatedly while answering questions with his eyes closed. He also said that he couldn’t recall most of his interactions with the defendant.
In the lawsuit, Saxon claimed that Ye hired him to complete the renovation of his home, which is known as "Little Ando," and strip it of all electricity, windows and plumbing capabilities.
The home that Saxon was renovating was never actually lived in by the College Dropout hitmaker. Ye eventually sold it for a loss in 2024 at just $21 million.
Ye's appearance in court came a day after his wife, Bianca Censori, testified to a jury about her role in the renovation. Censori claimed that she wasn’t involved in it and didn’t really deal directly with Saxon himself.
Censori was also asked about a handyman's claim that he had confused West's ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, with Bianca when she came to visit the home during renovations, which Bianca successfully objected to.
Last August, the Wall Street Journal reported that the home returned to the market for $34.9 million after a big sale reportedly fell through.
In Saxon’s complaint, Saxon claimed that he was hired as a project manager for the renovation and was also hired as "full-time security" and a "live in caretaker" for the home, at a pay rate of $20,000 per week.
Saxon alleged that he only received one of the payments and that he had to sleep in "makeshift conditions" on the property. He claims he had to find "empty spaces on the ground and using his coat as a makeshift bedding" and that Ye ignored the complaints.
After allegedly injuring his back in November of 2021, Saxon claimed to be terminated for not complying with West's "dangerous requests."
"Tony has been waiting for two and a half years for his day in court, and he’s looking forward to telling his story to a jury," Saxon’s attorney, Neama Rhamani, said in a statement in February. "This is the first time Ye will be testifying in a courtroom... The public will be able to draw their own conclusions as to who is telling the truth."
In January, West filed a lawsuit against Saxon and his legal team for “wrongfully” recording and maintaining an invalid $1.8 million mechanic’s lien on the property.
