Ye’s legal fees could rise to approximately $1.2 million after attorneys for former employee Anthony Saxon Netelkos, also known as Tony Saxon, asked a Los Angeles judge to make the artist cover the cost of their lengthy court battle. According to TMZ, the new request follows a March 2026 jury verdict that awarded Saxon $140,000 after finding Ye liable under California labor law.
The $1.2 million request is not a new damages award, and the court has not ordered Ye to pay that amount. Saxon’s lawyers are asking the judge to determine how much they should receive for handling the case. That distinction matters because the attorney fee fight could become far more expensive than the verdict itself.
Saxon’s legal team recorded more than 740 attorney hours during litigation that lasted approximately 35 months. The firm also claims the dispute required additional work from litigation staff, extensive discovery, multiple depositions, five different defense attorneys, and a two week jury trial.
The attorneys are reportedly asking the court to apply a 1.75 multiplier to their standard fee calculation. They argue that the adjustment is justified by the complexity of the litigation, the financial risk involved, and the fact that the firm accepted the case on contingency. Under that arrangement, the lawyers were not guaranteed payment if Saxon lost.
Ye legal fees could also include more than $300,000 that Saxon’s attorneys say their firm spent while pursuing the case. The filing accuses West’s side of extending the dispute through aggressive litigation and settlement tactics. Those accusations represent Saxon’s attorneys’ version of events and have not been independently decided by the judge reviewing the fee motion.
The filing reportedly claims West’s side offered Saxon $100,000 shortly before trial. Ye’s representatives later allegedly demanded that Saxon pay $200,000 and issue a public apology after the proceedings had already started. Saxon’s lawyers say they rejected both proposals and continued through trial.
The dispute began with work performed at West’s former Malibu mansion. Saxon alleged that the producer hired him in September 2021 to serve as a project manager, full time security worker, and live in caretaker. Saxon claimed he was promised $20,000 per week but received only one weekly payment.
Saxon alleged that he slept in makeshift conditions inside the unfinished property while overseeing the site. He also claimed that he severely injured his back in early November 2021 and was terminated on November 5 after refusing requests he considered dangerous. His September 2023 lawsuit included allegations of disability discrimination, unpaid compensation, labor violations, and retaliatory termination. West denied Saxon’s claims in court filings.
Ye legal fees became a central issue after the jury considered whether Saxon had been properly protected while working at the property. According to ABC7 Los Angeles, Saxon’s attorney Neama Rahmani said, “He wasn’t compensated for his injuries because Ye didn’t have work comp insurance.” ABC7 reported that the attorney fee provision arose under the labor law involved in the verdict.
The jury ultimately ordered Ye to pay $140,000 for medical expenses and other losses connected to Saxon’s injury. According to Courthouse News Service, the award was substantially lower than the $1.7 million Saxon’s attorneys requested during closing arguments. Saxon’s attorney Ronald Zambrano said after the verdict, “I’m happy for Tony that he has some vindication.”
Ye’s representatives characterized the verdict differently. According to Entertainment Weekly, a representative said the jury rejected most of Saxon’s claims and did not award him damages for several categories he pursued, including overtime, retaliation, punitive damages, and statutory penalties. The representative maintained that the $140,000 award related only to Saxon’s claimed physical injury.
Ye’s side has also argued that Saxon performed work requiring a contractor’s license. Per ABC7 Los Angeles, Ye’s representative stated, “Under California law, an unlicensed contractor cannot recover compensation for work requiring a license.” The representative said Ye would seek post trial relief based on that argument.
The mansion at the center of the case was an architecturally significant concrete residence designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The Grammy winner purchased the property for approximately $57 million and planned to transform it into a highly minimalist shelter that could operate independently from public utilities. Trial testimony described the removal of windows, chimneys, a jacuzzi, and other major features.
Ye eventually sold the stripped property for $21 million in 2024. That sale did not end the courtroom drama surrounding the mansion or the work Saxon performed there.
The Chicago star and his real estate company also filed a separate lawsuit against Saxon, Zambrano, and West Coast Trial Lawyers in January 2026. That complaint challenges a mechanic’s lien for approximately $1.8 million that Saxon and his attorneys recorded against the Malibu property. West’s complaint alleges the lien was invalid and interfered with the home’s sale. Saxon’s lawyers now claim that separate action was used to increase pressure during settlement negotiations. Both sides’ allegations in that dispute remain subject to the court process.
Now, Ye’s legal fees are positioned to become the biggest financial consequence of Saxon’s original lawsuit. The judge must decide whether the claimed hours, expenses, contingency risk, and requested multiplier support an award approaching .2 million. Until that decision arrives, the seven figure total remains a request rather than a final judgment.
The jury’s $140,000 verdict settled one part of the fight, but the ruling on Ye legal fees could determine which side ultimately absorbs the heaviest financial loss.
