Kanye West, now known as Ye, is no stranger to legal trouble throughout his career. But he doesn't always have to show up in court for it. Right now, though, Kanye's undergoing a civil trial over contractor Tony Saxon's lawsuit against him seeking about a million dollars. The construction worker accused him of subjecting him to unfair working conditions, restricting due pay, and wrongful termination over his work on Ye's former Malibu mansion he tried to renovate.
Reportedly, the Chicago artist struggled to stay awake during his witness testimony (which lasted a little under three hours) in the trial on Friday (March 6). According to Rolling Stone reporter Nancy Dillon on Twitter, he yawned constantly, answered questions with his eyes closed, and couldn't recall most interactions with Saxon that lawyers asked him about.
Also, per Rolling Stone's Nancy Dillon, the Yeezy mogul answered questions with simple "yes," "no," or most frequently, "I don't recall" statements, also stating that Tony Saxon had a particularly pungent body odor. "[He] repeatedly yawned, closed his eyes for long stretches, and at times seemed to catch his head falling forward as if dozing while seated on the witness stand," Dillon reported. Saxon's lawyer Ron Zambrano reportedly mouthed "Is he asleep?" to a colleague while Ye was on the stand.
Who Testified In Kanye West's Trial?
Bianca Censori, Kanye West's wife, also took the stand during this trial. Per Rolling Stone, she revealed during her witness testimony that she can sign things on her husband's behalf, effectively giving her power of attorney. Bianca, like Ye, defended the plans to gut the mansion and stood by their concepts and designs, instead insisting that Tony Saxon did not fulfill his end of the bargain. Other witnesses during this trial included handyman Jeromy Holding.
Kanye West counter-sued Tony Saxon back in January, alleging that he and his team wrongfully placed a $1.8 million lien on the property. We'll see if this trial wraps up all these threads or if more work will have to come through.
Either way, this has been a long, dense, and detail-heavy process, so we can't fault Kanye for being tired. But he will have to sharpen up if he wants to win this case.
