Kanye West, also known as Ye, is reportedly facing a new legal battle from his former Malibu project manager over a roughly $1.8 million lien tied to his extensively gutted beachfront mansion in Malibu, California. According to the Los Angeles Times and AllHipHop, the dispute centers on a mechanics lien placed on the property after West listed the home for sale, with the claimed debt now colliding with separate foreclosure issues involving the mansion’s current owner.[1][3]
The former project manager, identified in court records as Tony Saxon, previously sued West in Los Angeles Superior Court in September 2023, alleging labor violations, nonpayment for construction-related work, and disability discrimination connected to the Malibu renovation project.[1][2] In January 2024, Saxon allegedly recorded a $1.8 million mechanics lien against the property in an effort to secure payment for his services as project manager and caretaker on the site.[1][3] A mechanics lien typically allows unpaid contractors or laborers to hold a property as security and, if unresolved, can reportedly lead to foreclosure proceedings to satisfy the debt.[1][2]
According to reporting based on court filings, Saxon’s legal team publicized the lien after it was recorded, with his attorney Ronald Zambrano telling Business Insider that any prospective buyer of West’s Malibu home would have to “deal with us first” and that the sale could not happen without Saxon getting paid.[1][2][3] West has denied Saxon’s underlying claims and has already pushed back in court; Los Angeles Superior Court allegedly granted Ye’s motion last year to release the lien from a bond and awarded him attorneys’ fees, though Saxon’s side is reportedly continuing to pursue its claims in the labor lawsuit.[1][2][3]
The Malibu mansion itself has become one of hip-hop’s most notorious real-estate fiascos. West bought the Tadao Ando–designed concrete home in 2021 for about $57.3 million, then gutted it—removing windows, doors, electricity, and plumbing—before selling the unfinished structure three years later for around $21 million, a massive loss of more than $30 million.[1][2][3] The current owner, developer Steven Belmont’s Belwood Investments, has reportedly faced foreclosure threats and financial strain tied to the property, compounding the legal and money troubles orbiting the house.[1][3][4]
This latest lien-related clash adds another chapter to Kanye West’s mounting legal and financial entanglements, stretching from employment and construction disputes to real-estate losses tied to the Malibu project. As the case moves forward in Los Angeles courts, the outcome could affect not only West’s liability on the claimed $1.8 million but also the already fraught efforts to stabilize and monetize one of the most infamous homes in modern rap culture.[1][3][6]
