Kanye West Ordered to Pay $76K in Legal Fees After ‘Frivolous’ Motion in Ex-Employee Lawsuit
Kanye West has been ordered to pay more than $76,000 in legal fees after a California judge ruled his attempt to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a former employee was “frivolous.”
According to Rolling stone, On Friday, Los Angeles County Judge Nicholas F. Daum awarded $76,245 to attorneys representing the plaintiff, a former Yeezy marketing specialist suing West—also known as Ye—over allegations of antisemitic abuse, sexual harassment, and retaliation.
The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, initially requested nearly $100,000 in legal costs, but her team accepted the reduced amount.
Jane Doe’s 34-page complaint, filed in February, describes a hostile work environment during her time at Yeezy in 2023 and 2024. She accuses West of sending antisemitic texts such as “Welcome to the first day of working for Hitler” and “Hail Hitler,” sharing a nude photo without consent, and pressuring her to work on his “Yeezy Porn” project.
She says she was terminated after reporting his behavior to management.
In April, West filed a motion to strike the lawsuit, arguing it sought to suppress his constitutionally protected artistic expression. His lawyers claimed Ye’s public and private personas are part of a continuous performance that pushes cultural boundaries. However, Judge Theresa M. Traber, who first ruled on the motion, rejected it in June as “rife with defects” and filled with “specious arguments.”
She said supporting declarations, including one from West’s ally Milo Yiannopoulos, lacked credibility and foundation.
Judge Daum upheld Traber’s decision and characterized West’s legal maneuver as a stalling tactic. He noted that West could still appeal the fee order but emphasized that delaying payment was not justified.
West’s new attorney, Andrew Cherkasky, signaled the rapper is prepared to continue fighting the case. He said they believe the First Amendment issues raised could warrant further appeals and vowed to “aggressively move along with litigation” if the appellate court allows the lawsuit to proceed.
The lawsuit is currently paused pending the outcome of West’s appeal. If the appeal fails, a trial date will be set.
West, 48, has faced numerous lawsuits since his public antisemitic comments in 2022, including an infamous tweet about going “death con 3 on Jewish people.”
Jane Doe’s lawyer, Carney Shegerian, accused West of running a “relentless campaign of antisemitism and misogyny” and said his client looks forward to holding him accountable in court.
