Kanye West, also known as Ye, is embroiled in a new legal battle over a $1.8 million construction lien tied to his gutted Malibu mansion, even as the controversial beachfront property faces ongoing foreclosure threats and financial turmoil. According to the Los Angeles Times and AllHipHop, West has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against former project manager Tony Saxon and law firm West Coast Trial Lawyers, alleging they wrongfully recorded an “invalid” mechanics lien on the Malibu home and launched a media campaign that interfered with efforts to sell the property.[1][2]
AllHipHop reports that Saxon, who worked as West’s project manager, security guard, and caretaker at the Malibu house, originally sued the rapper in September 2023 over alleged labor violations, nonpayment of services, and disability discrimination.[2] In January 2024, Saxon allegedly filed the $1.8 million mechanics lien to secure payment for construction-related work, a move that, under California law, can reportedly give an unpaid contractor leverage to force a foreclosure sale if the debt remains unresolved.[1][2][3] According to the Los Angeles Times, West’s new complaint claims Saxon’s team immediately went public with the lien, with attorney Ronald Zambrano telling Business Insider that any potential buyer would “have to deal with us first” before a sale could go through.[1][2][3]
The Malibu mansion itself has become a symbol of spiraling costs and controversy. West purchased the Tadao Ando–designed concrete home in 2021 for $57.3 million, then completely gutted the structure, removing windows, doors, electricity, plumbing, and interior walls, reportedly describing the project as his personal “bomb shelter” and “Batcave.”[1][2] He later sold the unfinished shell to developer Steven Belmont’s Belwood Investments for about $21 million, reportedly taking a loss of more than $30 million as the property continued to rack up renovation costs and face foreclosure risks.[1][2][3] AllHipHop notes that Belmont has since struggled to turn the site around, with the home repeatedly returning to the market amid financial pressure and attempts to rework the project.[2]
According to the Los Angeles Times, West’s lawsuit states that the Los Angeles Superior Court previously granted his motion to release the lien from a bond and awarded him attorneys’ fees, yet Saxon and his legal team are allegedly continuing to press their claims tied to the $1.8 million figure.[1][2][3] The case underscores how Ye’s Malibu venture has shifted from high-end architectural flex to legal and financial cautionary tale, adding another chapter to the ongoing saga of Kanye West’s real estate, business, and employment disputes that continue to shadow his broader career moves.[1][2]
