Ye’s former security guard is trying to close one potentially major courtroom door before their discrimination battle reaches trial. The lawsuit filed by Benjamin Deshon Provo has now sparked a fight over whether Ye should be allowed to argue that he was of “unsound mind” during the period at the center of Provo’s allegations, even after Ye reportedly testified that he considered himself mentally sound at the time.
Provo’s attorneys are asking the Los Angeles Superior Court judge handling the case to prevent Ye from introducing evidence or arguments suggesting mental incapacity. According to court documents reported by TMZ and MyNewsLA, Provo’s side says the issue surfaced during discussions over pretrial motions despite Ye allegedly never producing medical records, identifying an expert witness, or developing a mental-health defense during discovery.
That timing is central to Provo’s objection.
According to the filing, Provo says Ye “repeatedly indicated that he had been of sound mind during the events underlying the case.”
His lawyers highlighted one exchange from Ye’s deposition.
“Do you feel like around the time you had the [Donda] school, you were not yourself around that time?”
Ye responded, “No. I think that was close to me being myself, but people change, though, too,” before adding, “sometimes I intend to do good and still end up in deposition.”
The dispute adds another layer to a case that has been developing for more than two years.
Provo filed his lawsuit against Ye, Yeezy LLC and Donda Academy Inc. in Los Angeles County Superior Court on April 26, 2024. Court records classify the action as a wrongful termination and employment case. Provo, who is Black and Muslim, alleged discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other workplace violations stemming from his employment with Ye’s businesses. Ye and the other defendants later filed an answer denying the allegations.
Provo said he began working security at Donda Academy in August 2021 and also performed work connected to Yeezy operations. His complaint alleges that Ye treated Black employees differently from White employees.
“Kanye frequently screamed at and berated Black employees, while in contrast, he never so much as raised his tone of voice toward white staff,” the complaint alleges.
Provo further alleges that Black workers received lower pay than White employees and that his own compensation was reduced after he raised concerns about wage disparities. He also claims Ye objected to his dreadlocks, which Provo says he wore in connection with his Muslim faith. According to the lawsuit, Ye demanded that Provo and others shave their heads. Provo alleges he refused and was ultimately fired.
Ye has denied firing Provo because of his dreadlocks. During his deposition, according to the latest court papers, Ye acknowledged preferring employees to have a uniform appearance but denied Provo’s version of why his employment ended.
Provo’s complaint also reaches beyond his own employment. He alleged that books connected to major Black historical figures, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, were prohibited at Donda Academy. He additionally claimed Ye instructed security personnel to prevent paparazzi interactions by methods that could include physical confrontation. Those remain allegations that Ye has denied as part of his broader denial of wrongdoing.
The case has already had several procedural twists.
In early 2025, Ye agreed to be deposed after Provo’s attorneys sought to compel his testimony. By August 2026, however, Ye’s lawyers were accusing Provo of delaying his own deposition and asked Judge Brock T. Hammond to push the trial from October 12, 2026, to May 17, 2027. Ye’s attorneys argued that Provo’s testimony was “essential to the fair determination of this action.”
Now both sides are battling over what the court will hear if and when testimony begins.
Ye has separately sought to exclude evidence involving past social media posts in which he praised Hitler or Nazis, arguing that the material has no connection to whether Provo experienced race discrimination at Donda Academy. TMZ reported that evidence Provo may seek to introduce includes hundreds of pages of social media material. Ye maintains those posts would unfairly prejudice the case rather than establish the employment claims at issue.
That creates an unusual pretrial split. On one side, Ye wants potentially inflammatory statements from outside the workplace dispute kept away from the factfinder. On the other, Provo wants Ye prevented from introducing his mental condition as an explanation for conduct connected to the lawsuit.
Donda Academy itself has faced scrutiny well beyond Provo’s case. Other former employees have filed separate lawsuits alleging discrimination, retaliation, and unsafe working conditions at the private school. Ye and other defendants have denied allegations in those cases as well. The Los Angeles Times reported in 2025 that multiple former workers described a chaotic environment at the academy before its operations unraveled.
For Provo, however, the coming courtroom battle is narrower: what happened to him, why he lost his job, and what evidence Ye should be allowed to use in defending himself.
The judge’s decisions on these pretrial fights could determine how much of Ye’s broader public history enters the courtroom and whether his state of mind becomes part of the defense at all.
The nonjury trial is currently scheduled to begin October 12, 2026, although Ye has asked the court to move it into 2027.
