Kanye West wanted to remove the windows and electricity from his $57 million Malibu home to turn it into a “1910s bomb shelter,” according to a new lawsuit.
The 46-year-old I Wonder rapper is being sued by the redevelopment project’s former manager Tony Saxon, who claims he was fired after he “expressed concerns about the extreme danger of such actions.” TMZ.
According to Saxon’s lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, he was hired for the project in September 2021 and worked 16 hours a day on the Tadao Ando-designed beach house.
Saxon claims he slept on the house’s floor while working as a “project manager, caretaker and 24-hour security guard” for the property.
Saxon claims West only paid him for a week of work and ignored all of his concerns until he was finally fired in November 2021 after he refused to remove the home’s windows and electricity.
Lawsuit: Kanye West wanted to remove the windows and electricity from his $57 million Malibu home to turn it into a “bomb shelter,” according to a new lawsuit; pictured in May with Bianca Censori
Extreme: The 46-year-old rapper is being sued by the remodeling project’s former manager, Tony Saxon, who claims he was fired after he “expressed concerns about the extreme danger of such actions,” according to TMZ; The windowless house in Malibu was seen on Wednesday
Kanye suggested moving large generators inside the house, but Saxon worried it would pose a fire risk.
Saxon claims Kanye then threatened him, saying he would be considered an “enemy” if he didn’t fulfill Kanye’s vision.
When Saxon continued to disagree, Kanye told him to “go away,” according to the lawsuit.
Saxon also claims the hip-hop mogul told him, “If you don’t do what I say, you won’t work for me, I won’t be your friend anymore and you’ll only see me on TV.”‘
After telling the father of four he wasn’t watching TV, he was immediately fired.
In the lawsuit, Saxon said the rapper’s vision for the house was to create something like “a 1910s bomb shelter.” NBC Newsand demolish the marble bathrooms and remove the windows, plumbing and electricity.
He also reportedly wanted to replace the stairs with slides.
Saxon is now suing Kim Kardashian’s ex-husband for a series of labor law violations, more than $1 million in unpaid wages and damages.
Interesting concept: West reportedly wanted to demolish the marble bathrooms and remove the windows, plumbing and electricity. He also wanted to replace the stairs with slides
A place to hide: “We wanted to eradicate all of that and kind of build him a bat cave,” Saxon explained, according to NBC News, adding that the rapper wanted a place where he could “hide from the Clintons Kardashians in”; The house with windows in 2021
Demanding job: Saxon claims he slept on the floor of the house while working as “project manager, caretaker and 24-hour security” for the property; The picture shows security guards in front of the house
“We wanted to eradicate all of that and kind of build him a bat cave,” Saxon explained, adding that the rapper wanted a place where he could “hide from the Clintons and the Kardashians.”
While Saxon believed the house was more of an “art project,” he later realized that Kanye actually wanted to live in it.
He said Kanye “didn’t want electricity.” He just wanted plants. He just wanted candles. He just wanted battery lights. And he just wanted everything to be open and dark.’
The lawsuit was filed by West Coast Employment Lawyers, the same lawyers who sued the musician on behalf of former employees of Kanye’s private Christian school, Donda Academy, over alleged health and safety violations.
In recent photos of the home, the huge floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean have been removed, leaving this side exposed to all the elements.
The interior of the house appears to be crumbling and the metal railings are rusting after exposure to the salt air, wind and water.
West purchased his 4,000-square-foot oceanfront property in September 2021. It features huge windows overlooking the ocean.
He enlisted the help of famed Japanese architect Tadao Ando and hired top contractors to oversee the extensive renovation plans.
But the next summer, renovations stopped and the gutted, windowless mansion stood empty. Months later, Ye was dropped by multiple business partners and brands because of his anti-Semitic outbursts.
Legal troubles: Saxon is now suing Kim Kardashian’s ex-husband over a series of labor law violations, unpaid wages and damages; West seen in 2020
Issue: The lawsuit was filed by the same attorneys who sued the rapper on behalf of former employees of his private Christian school over alleged health and safety violations
Ye’s neighbors in Malibu told TMZ that his mansion had been “left to decay” and that they had “not seen anyone around for many months.”
Ye had already been seen at the estate last summer to check on progress, but his empire has since imploded in dramatic fashion after he launched several anti-Semitic rants that resulted in the loss of about $1.6 billion of his net worth and led to his downfall from Forbes’ billionaires list, according to CBS News.
Ye has several other properties across the country including a sprawling ranch in Calabasas, Los Angeles, which he purchased in 2019 for an estimated $3 million.
He also owns another sprawling ranch in Wyoming, which he purchased when he was reportedly “owned” by the Midwestern state several years ago.
