Ye Fights $1.23 Million Fee Request After $140,000 Verdict

Caption: Kanye West, SXSW 2009. Credit: 3CENT / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Ye is asking a Los Angeles judge to reject a former handyman’s request for $1.23 million in attorneys’ fees after the handyman won a $140,000 jury verdict in March. Ye’s lawyers argue the fee request is disproportionate to the result and say any award should be reduced to just under $60,000.

Plaintiff Tony Saxon sued over work connected to renovations at Ye’s Malibu property. The jury award remains in place; the new fight is over how much, if anything, Ye must pay on top of that verdict for Saxon’s legal fees.

The Fee Request Is Nearly Nine Times the Jury Award

Saxon’s lawyers are seeking $1.23 million after the jury awarded $140,000. Ye’s filing highlights that gap and argues the request is inflated because Saxon succeeded on only part of the case.

Ye Is Not Asking the Judge to Erase the Verdict

The current motion is narrower than the original lawsuit. Ye previously challenged the verdict, but the fee dispute now asks the court to decide what legal work should be compensated and at what rate.

Both Sides Are Turning the Same Case Into a Second Financial Fight

For Saxon, the fee request reflects the cost of litigating the matter. For Ye, the request is presented as out of proportion to the amount awarded. That creates a straightforward money conflict that is separate from the merits the jury already decided.

The Oct. 7 Hearing Will Determine the Next Dollar Figure

A hearing on the attorneys’ fees is scheduled for Oct. 7. The judge can grant the request, reduce it or deny it, leaving the final amount unresolved until the court rules.

References: Ye Asks Judge to Deny Handyman’s $1.23M Bid in Attorneys’ Fees | Handyman Asks Judge to Order Ye to Pay $1.23 Million in Attorneys’ Fees