Jury Finds Ye Liable for Worker's Back Injury at Malibu Mansion, Awards $140,000

Tony Saxon went to work for Ye in 2021 under a contract promising $20,000 a week. His duties at the rapper's Malibu waterfront mansion blended project oversight and around-the-clock security, and at times he slept on the mansion floor to cover the night shift. The worksite, which was undergoing heavy demolition, lacked adequate safety protocols: open insulation, missing protective equipment, and conditions Saxon raised with his employer repeatedly without result.

In November 2021, Saxon suffered a severe back injury while performing his duties. He requested time off to recover. According to his account, Ye ignored the request, and Saxon was terminated shortly after. Saxon filed suit in September 2023, alleging disability discrimination, unpaid wages and reimbursements, and multiple violations of the California Labor Code, including the failure to carry workers' compensation insurance.

The case went to a two-week jury trial in Los Angeles Superior Court. West Coast Trial Lawyers employment chair Ronald Zambrano led the plaintiff's case. Pre-trial, Ye's side offered $100,000 to settle; mid-trial, the demand flipped, with the defense asking Saxon to pay $200,000 and issue a public apology. Saxon rejected both.

On March 11, 2026, the jury returned a verdict finding Ye liable for Saxon's injury-related damages and awarded $140,000. The panel declined to find wrongful termination and did not award punitive damages, concluding Ye had not acted with malice, oppression, or fraud. Judge Brock T. Hammond subsequently upheld the verdict.

In July 2026, Saxon's team moved for $1.23 million in statutory attorney fees under California's Fair Employment and Housing Act and the Labor Code. The firm's filing noted more than 740 attorney hours logged across 35 months of litigation, over $300,000 in out-of-pocket costs, and a 1.75x multiplier requested to reflect the contingency risk. A hearing on the fee motion was set for October 7, 2026.