A former contractor on Kanye West’s Malibu mansion renovation is demanding the veteran rapper cough up $1.2 million in attorney’s fees.
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According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Anthony Saxon Netelkos claims his legal team is entitled to the hefty payout. This comes after a jury awarded him $140,000 in damages, finding West liable under California’s Labor Code.
Saxon’s legal team reports logging over 740 attorney hours across the nearly three-year legal battle, plus additional time from litigation staff. They are now asking the court to apply a 1.75 multiplier to the total fees, citing the case’s complicated nature and high stakes.
In March, a jury found the “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” rapper liable for failing to provide workers’ compensation insurance and awarded Saxon $140K in damages.
How Saxon’s Legal Team Came up With $1.2 Million
In the new filing, Saxon’s attorneys highlight that the 35-month litigation involved five different defense lawyers, extensive discovery, multiple depositions, and a two-week trial, costing their firm over $300,000 out of pocket. They also noted the high risk involved, as they took the case on a contingency basis with no guarantee of payment.
The filing also criticizes the 49-year-old rapper’s litigation tactics, claiming his team offered a $100,000 settlement just before trial, only to later demand that Saxon pay $200,000 and issue a public apology once proceedings began. Saxon’s attorneys rejected both proposals and proceeded to a trial they ultimately won.
West’s legal team filed a separate lawsuit against Saxon’s attorneys prior to trial, allegedly wielding it as a bargaining chip in settlement talks. It will now be up to the judge to decide whether West’s $140K defeat at trial snowballs into a seven-figure legal bill.
It looks like this Malibu remodel is going to cost Ye a lot more than just some fresh paint. At this rate, those attorney fees might end up being his most expensive renovation yet.