Kanye West's Ex-Employee Seeks $1.2M in Attorney's Fees in Lawsuit

The legal saga involving Kanye West has taken a new turn. A former employee of the rapper, Anthony Saxon Netelkos, who won a civil case against him earlier this year, is now asking the court to order West to pay $1.2 million in attorney's fees. The new court documents were obtained by TMZ.

In March, a jury found Kanye West liable for violating California's Labor Code by failing to provide workers' compensation insurance to his employee. The jury awarded Saxon $140,000 in damages. Now, Saxon's legal team argues that their fees should be covered separately.

According to the filing, Saxon's attorneys logged over 740 hours on the case over nearly three years, plus additional time from litigation staff. They are asking the court to apply a 1.75 multiplier to the fee total due to the complexity and risk involved. The case lasted 35 months, involved five different defense lawyers, extensive discovery, multiple depositions, and a two-week jury trial, while costing the firm more than $300,000 out of pocket.

The attorneys emphasize that they worked on a contingency basis, meaning they would only get paid if they won. They also criticize Kanye's litigation tactics, claiming that his side made a $100,000 settlement offer just before trial, and later demanded that Saxon pay $200,000 and issue a public apology after proceedings had begun. Both offers were rejected.

Additionally, they accuse Kanye's team of trying to make the fight harder by filing a separate lawsuit against them before trial and using that as leverage in settlement negotiations. The case eventually went to trial, where Saxon emerged victorious.

Now, it will be up to the judge to decide whether the rapper's $140K trial loss turns into a seven-figure legal bill. If the request is granted, Kanye West will have to pay over $1 million in legal fees, a significant financial blow for the artist who is already facing numerous legal challenges and financial troubles.

Legal experts note that such requests for attorney's fees are common in American jurisprudence, especially in contingency cases. However, the $1.2 million figure is substantial and may be contested by the defense. The judge could either fully grant the request or reduce it based on the reasonableness of the fees.

For Kanye West, who has been trying to rebuild his reputation after a series of scandals, this news is another reminder of his legal woes. It remains to be seen how the rapper will respond, but his lawyers are likely to challenge the amount as excessive.