Kanye West, also known as Ye, has launched a new legal battle over his controversial Malibu mansion, filing a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against former project manager Tony Saxon and his attorneys over a disputed $1.8 million mechanics lien on the oceanfront property. According to the Los Angeles Times, West alleges Saxon and law firm West Coast Trial Lawyers “wrongfully” placed an “invalid” lien on the stripped-down Malibu home and used media pressure to interfere with potential sales of the residence.[1][2]
According to AllHipHop and court filings, Saxon previously worked as West’s project manager, security guard, and caretaker on the Malibu project and sued the rapper in September 2023 for alleged labor violations, nonpayment of services, and disability discrimination.[2][3] Saxon reportedly filed the $1.8 million mechanics lien in January 2024, claiming he was owed for construction-related work on the property, a move that legally positioned him to push for a foreclosure sale if unpaid.[1][2] West’s new complaint argues that after recording the lien, Saxon’s team quickly went public, with attorney Ronald Zambrano telling Business Insider that any buyer for the home “will have to deal with us first” and that a sale “cannot happen without Tony getting paid first,” a statement Ye’s camp says was meant to chill transactions and misrepresent their legal leverage.[1][2][3]
The Malibu mansion itself has become a symbol of spiraling costs and ongoing drama. West purchased the Tadao Ando–designed concrete home in 2021 for about $57.3 million, then gutted it, removing windows, doors, electricity, plumbing, and interior walls while reportedly describing it as his “bomb shelter” and “Batcave.”[1][2] He later sold the unfinished shell in 2024 to developer Steven Belmont’s Belwood Investments for roughly $21 million, taking a massive multimillion-dollar loss as the property continued to face financial strain and foreclosure threats under its new ownership.[1][2] According to AllHipHop and The News International, a Los Angeles court has already granted West’s motion to release the lien from a bond and awarded him attorneys’ fees, although Saxon’s underlying claims against West reportedly remain in litigation.[2][3]
This latest lawsuit adds another chapter to the long-running saga surrounding Kanye West’s Malibu mansion, a project that has evolved from an ambitious architectural statement into a cautionary tale of celebrity real estate, construction disputes, and mounting legal fees. As Ye continues to navigate multiple lawsuits tied to his business ventures and creative projects, the outcome of this case could shape how high-stakes property disputes between artists and collaborators are handled going forward, and it underscores how a single luxury investment can spiral into years of courtroom conflict.[1][2][3][4]
