Judge Orders Kanye West To Pay Ex-Handyman Tony Saxon $181K More In Lawyer Fees Over Malibu Mansion Suit

An LA judge ordered Kanye West to pay ex-handyman Tony Saxon $181,433.93 in attorneys' fees and costs on top of a $140K jury verdict over Ye's Malibu mansion. Saxon sought $1.23M; Ye wanted a $59K cap. Ye is appealing the verdict.

Kanye West just took another loss in the Malibu mansion case.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brock Hammond ordered Ye on Tuesday, Oct. 13, to pay $181,433.93 in attorneys' fees and costs to Tony Saxon, the former handyman and project overseer who sued him over the gutted beachfront mansion renovation. The award breaks down to $147,000 in attorneys' fees and $34,433.93 in costs.

That money comes on top of the $140,000 a jury awarded Saxon on March 11. Jurors gave him $100,000 for past and future medical expenses and $40,000 for past pain and suffering. They did not award future pain and suffering or punitive damages, found Saxon was not wrongfully terminated, and found Ye did not act with malice or fraud.

Saxon's lawyers had asked for $1.23 million in fees, citing work by three attorneys and a paralegal. Ye's attorneys fought the request and asked that any award be capped at $59,425. Hammond heard arguments Oct. 7 and took it under submission before landing on the final number, which was revised upward after Saxon's attorney Ron Zambrano challenged an initial lower assessment.

Saxon's 2023 suit claimed he was promised $20,000 a week, was treated as an independent contractor without workers' compensation coverage, and suffered back and neck injuries while living and working at the property. Ye is appealing the $140,000 judgment and has also filed a separate lawsuit against Saxon and his legal team over a property lien. With the new fees, Ye's total exposure in the case now tops $320,000.

Sources: MyNewsLA (Oct. 14, 2026); Rolling Stone (obtained the ruling), via AllHipHop (Oct. 15, 2026); Rolling Out (Oct. 15, 2026). Photo: Erika Goldring / Getty Images via Complex (Soldier Field, Chicago, Sept. 4, 2026).