Ye is ordered to pay $181,433 more in the Malibu mansion case, on top of the $140,000 verdict

The bill from the Malibu mansion lawsuit against Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, just got bigger. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has ordered the rapper to pay $147,000 in attorney fees and $34,433.93 in costs to the legal team of contractor Tony Saxon, a total of $181,433.

That sits on top of the $140,000 a jury awarded Saxon on 11 March 2026. Saxon had asked for $1.7 million in damages, so the verdict was a mixed result for both sides, and the fee order is where the case now carries real weight.

What the case is about

Saxon sued Ye in September 2023 in Los Angeles Superior Court. He said he oversaw work on Ye's Malibu home under a 2021 arrangement worth $20,000 a week, and that he was paid $20,000 once plus $100,000 for construction costs. He also alleged he was fired in November 2021 after raising safety concerns about demolition work that was being done without protective equipment.

Ye's side has argued the opposite: that Saxon worked as an unlicensed contractor and so cannot recover pay for work that required a licence under California law. A spokesperson said after the verdict that Ye believed the award was legally barred and would seek post-trial relief. Ye's lawyers also argued that no attorney fees should be awarded at all.

Why the fees matter

Saxon's lawyers tied the fee liability to California's labour code, arguing that Ye carried no workers' compensation insurance for the people on the job and so is responsible for fees and costs. The judge's figure came in higher than a first, smaller proposal after Saxon's attorney objected to it.

For readers who know Ye mainly through the music: this is a separate civil case from his label, touring and release business, and it concerns a private property renovation. We are covering it because the ruling is a court order on the public record and part of an ongoing run of legal headlines around one of hip-hop's biggest names. Ye can still challenge the judgment, and we will update this story if the court record changes.

For more on the artist, see Kanye West on ADMC.