The I Wonder rapper, 46, is being sued by the former manager of the remodel project, Tony Saxon, who claims he was fired after he ‘expressed concerns about the extreme danger of such actions’ as per TMZ.
According to Saxon’s lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, he was hired for the project in September 2021, and worked 16-hour days on the Tadao Ando-designed beach house.
Saxon claims he was sleeping on the floor of the home as he worked as ‘project manager, caretaker and 24/7 security’ for the property.
Saxon alleges that West only paid him for one week of work and ignored all his concerns, until finally he was fired in November 2021, after refusing to remove the home’s windows and electricity.
Lawsuit: Kanye West wanted to remove the windows and electricity from his $57 million Malibu home in order to turn it into ‘a bomb shelter’ according to a new lawsuit; pictured in May with Bianca Censori
Extreme: The rapper, 46, is being sued by former manager of the remodel project, Tony Saxon, who claims he was fired after he ‘expressed concerns about the extreme danger of such actions’ as per TMZ; The windowless Malibu home seen on Wednesday
Kanye proposed moving large generators inside the house, but Saxon was worried about it being a fire hazard.
Saxon alleges that Kanye then threatened him and said he would be considered ‘an enemy’ if he did not fulfill Kanye’s vision.
When Saxon continued to disagree, Kanye told him to ‘get the hell out’ according to the suit.
Saxon also claims the hip hop mogul told him, ‘If you don’t do what I say, you’re not going to work for me, I’m not gonna be your friend anymore and you’ll just see me on TV.’
After he told the father-of-four he doesn’t watch TV, he was promptly fired on the spot.
In the lawsuit Saxon said the rapper’s vision for the home was to make something like ‘a bomb shelter from the 1910s’, according to NBC News, and demolish the marble bathrooms, as well as remove the windows, plumbing and electricity.
He also reportedly wanted to replace the stairs with slides.
Saxon is now suing Kim Kardashian’s ex husband for a number of labor code violations, more than $1 million in unpaid wages, and damages.
Kanye West waits on a ride at his mansion-in-progress in Malibu
Interesting concept: West reportedly wanted to demolish the marble bathrooms, as well as remove the windows, plumbing and electricity. He also wanted to replace the stairs with slides
A place to hide: ‘We were going to be gutting all of that out and sort of building him a Bat Cave,’ Saxon explained, as per NBC News, adding the rapper wanted a place he could ‘hide from the Clintons in and the Kardashians in’; The home seen with windows in 2021
Demanding job: Saxon claims he was sleeping on the floor of the home as he worked as ‘project manager, caretaker and 24/7 security’ for the property; Security guards pictured outside the home
Kanye West wears shoulder pads on date with Bianca Censori
‘We were going to be gutting all of that out and sort of building him a Bat Cave,’ Saxon explained, adding the rapper wanted a place he could ‘hide from the Clintons in and the Kardashians in.’
While Saxon believed the home was more of an ‘art project’ he later came to realize Kanye actually wanted to live in it.
He said Kanye ‘wanted no electricity. He only wanted plants. He only wanted candles. He only wanted battery lights. And he just wanted to have everything open and dark.’
The lawsuit was filed by West Coast Employment Lawyers, the same attorneys who sued the musician on behalf of former employees of Kanye’s private Christian school, Donda Academy, over alleged health and safety violations.
In recent photos on the home, the massive floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the ocean have been removed, leaving that side open to all the elements.
The inside of the house appears to be crumbling and the metal railings are rusting after being exposed to the salt air, wind and water.
West purchased his 4,000 square foot oceanfront property in September 2021. It boasts giant windows overlooking the sea.
He enlisted in the help of famed Japanese architect Tadao Ando and brought in top contractors to oversee the extensive remodeling plans.
But by the next summer, renovations halted and the gutted, windowless mansion was left empty. Months later, Ye was dropped by multiple business partners and brands because of his anti-Semitic outbursts.
Legal woes: Saxon is now suing Kim Kardashian’s ex husband for a number of labor code violations, unpaid wages, and damages; West seen in 2020
Trouble: The lawsuit was filed by the same attorneys who sued the rapper on behalf of former employees of his private Christian school, over alleged health and safety violations
Kim and Kanye’s divorce is explored in new documentary
Ye’s Malibu neighbors told TMZ his mansion was ‘left to rot’ and that they had not seen ‘seen anyone around for many months.’
Ye had previously been seen at the property checking out the progress last summer, but his empire has since imploded in dramatic fashion after he launched into several anti-Semitic rants, which led to the loss of about $1.6 billion of his net worth and his fall off Forbes’ billionaires list, as per CBS News.
Ye has several other properties around the country, including a sprawling ranch in Calabasas, Los Angeles, which he bought for an estimated $3 million in 2019.
He also owns another sprawling Wyoming ranch, which he snapped up when he reportedly became ‘obsessed’ with the Midwest state several years ago.
