Ye has been ordered to pay an additional $181,433.93 in attorney fees and court costs following a legal battle involving renovations at his former $57 million Malibu mansion. The latest ruling adds to the $140,000 jury verdict awarded to former employee Tony Saxon earlier this year, bringing the combined court awards against the rapper to more than $321,000. According to Rolling Stone, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brock Hammond ordered Kanye West, also known as Ye, to cover $147,000 in attorney fees and $34,433.93 in litigation costs for Saxon’s legal team at West Coast Trial Lawyers.
The decision marks another financial development in the Malibu mansion lawsuit, which has continued despite a jury reaching its verdict in March 2026. The new amount represents a court-ordered award rather than a negotiated settlement, and Ye is still challenging the original judgment.
The latest ruling also highlights just how expensive the dispute has become for both sides.
According to MyNewsLA, Saxon’s attorneys initially requested approximately $1.23 million in legal fees and costs. Ye’s legal team opposed that amount, arguing that the request was excessive compared to the damages Saxon actually recovered.
The defense maintained that any award should not exceed $59,425. However, Saxon’s attorneys argued that the case involved complicated employment laws and required significant legal resources. They also reported spending more than $300,000 pursuing the litigation.
Judge Hammond ultimately approved substantially less than Saxon’s attorneys requested. Rolling Stone reported that the judge initially considered an even smaller award before attorney Ron Zambrano challenged his preliminary assessment.
Following the ruling, Zambrano acknowledged the judge’s willingness to reconsider his position.
“I respect Judge Hammond’s openness to consider my argument why his initial assessment was perhaps missing a critical point,” Zambrano told Rolling Stone.
The attorney nevertheless maintained that the work required to secure Saxon’s verdict deserved greater compensation.
Meanwhile, a representative for Ye characterized the latest outcome as “humiliating” for Saxon’s side, despite the judge ordering the rapper to pay additional money.
While the new financial award is considerably smaller than the seven-figure amount Saxon’s lawyers pursued, it represents another court-ordered obligation connected to the Malibu mansion lawsuit.
The dispute dates back to 2021, when Ye purchased a beachfront property designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando for approximately $57 million.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Ye subsequently began an extensive renovation project that involved stripping the luxury residence of major structural and functional features.
The home, originally celebrated for its minimalist concrete design, became the center of an ambitious plan to create a dramatically different living space.
Saxon, who worked on the property as a project manager, caretaker, and security guard, alleged that Ye wanted to transform the mansion into a bunker that could operate without conventional utilities.
According to testimony detailed by Rolling Stone, Saxon claimed workers were instructed to remove plumbing systems, toilets, cabinetry, electrical components, and other fixtures. The renovations also included removing a built-in concrete fireplace.
The project eventually became the foundation of a dispute over working conditions, compensation, and alleged injuries.
Saxon filed his lawsuit in September 2023, claiming he had been improperly classified as an independent contractor while performing duties that should have entitled him to employee protections.
He also alleged that he suffered significant back and neck injuries while working at the residence and that Ye had failed to provide workers’ compensation coverage.
According to MyNewsLA, Saxon claimed he was promised $20,000 per week for his work. He alleged that he received only one weekly payment and additional funds intended for construction expenses.
Saxon also maintained that he was required to sleep on the mansion floor while providing security and that his concerns about unsafe working conditions were not adequately addressed.
He further alleged that Ye terminated his employment after he resisted instructions he considered dangerous.
Ye disputed the allegations, and his legal team challenged both Saxon’s employment claims and the extent of his reported injuries.
The Malibu mansion lawsuit eventually reached trial in Los Angeles in February 2026, with Saxon’s attorneys seeking approximately $1.7 million in compensatory damages.
However, the jury’s March 11 verdict produced a mixed outcome.
According to Variety, jurors determined that Saxon qualified as an employee for purposes of his injury claim and had sustained an injury while working on the property.
The panel awarded him $100,000 for past and future medical expenses and another $40,000 for past pain and suffering.
Jurors declined to award damages for future pain and suffering and rejected his wrongful termination allegations. They also declined to impose punitive damages.
As a result, Saxon recovered only a fraction of the $1.7 million requested, while Ye avoided liability on several significant claims.
The proceedings also drew attention because of testimony from Ye and his wife, Bianca Censori, who worked on the mansion’s architectural plans.
According to Rolling Stone, Censori described Ye’s unconventional design preferences, including his interest in replacing traditional architectural elements with “ramps and slides.”
She also testified that Saxon had represented himself as a licensed contractor, something Saxon denied.
Ye’s own courtroom appearance became another talking point after observers reported that he appeared disengaged and possibly asleep while testifying. His attorney disputed that characterization during closing arguments.
Jurors later told Rolling Stone that they carefully examined financial records to determine how much of the money Ye transferred to Saxon was intended for wages versus construction expenses and payments to other workers.
Those distinctions played an important role in evaluating Saxon’s claims for unpaid compensation.
Although the jury awarded damages for his injuries, it did not grant the broader financial recovery his attorneys sought.
The controversy surrounding the property extended beyond the courtroom.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Ye eventually sold the unfinished mansion to Belwood Investments for approximately $21 million in 2024. That represented a loss of roughly $36 million compared to his original purchase price, before accounting for renovation expenses and other costs.
The property sale did not resolve the dispute with Saxon, and the legal proceedings continued after the March verdict.
According to The Independent, Ye filed an appeal in July 2026 challenging the $140,000 award. His legal position included arguments about Saxon’s contractor status and whether the damages were legally justified.
Ye also pursued separate litigation involving a $1.8 million lien connected to the property, accusing Saxon and his legal representatives of improperly recording the claim. Those allegations remain separate from the jury’s injury verdict.
With the latest attorney fee award, the total financial obligations imposed through the Malibu mansion lawsuit now stand at approximately $321,434, including the original damages and newly approved legal expenses.
The additional ruling does not resolve Ye’s pending appeal or establish that the combined amount has already been paid.
For now, the rapper’s costly Malibu renovation project continues to carry financial consequences years after he sold the property, with the latest court order adding more than $181,000 to an already contested judgment.
