Kanye West, now known as Ye, recently testified in his ongoing legal battle with contractor Tony Saxon, who is accusing the rapper of malpractice related to renovation work on his Malibu mansion.
Ye is currently facing a civil trial after Saxon filed a lawsuit seeking roughly $1 million. The contractor claims he was subjected to unfair working conditions, denied proper pay, and wrongfully fired while working on the renovation of Ye’s former Malibu property.
According to reports, the Chicago artist struggled to stay awake during his testimony on Friday (March 6), which lasted just under three hours. Rolling Stone reporter Nancy Dillon shared on Twitter that Ye frequently yawned, answered questions with his eyes closed, and said he couldn’t remember many of the interactions with Saxon that attorneys brought up.
Dillon also reported that the Yeezy founder mostly responded with short answers like “yes,” “no,” or, most often, “I don’t recall.” At one point, he also claimed that Tony Saxon had a particularly strong 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 wrote. Saxon’s attorney, Ron Zambrano, was reportedly seen mouthing “Is he asleep?” to a colleague while Ye was testifying.
Bianca Censori, Kanye West’s wife, also testified during the trial. According to Rolling Stone, she revealed on the stand that she is able to sign documents on Ye’s behalf, effectively giving her power of attorney. Like Kanye, Bianca defended their plans to strip down and redesign the Malibu mansion, maintaining that the vision for the project was valid while claiming Tony Saxon failed to deliver on his responsibilities. Other witnesses in the case have included handyman Jeromy Holding.
Kanye West also filed a countersuit against Tony Saxon in January, accusing him and his team of improperly placing a $1.8 million lien on the property. It remains to be seen whether the trial will resolve all aspects of the dispute or if further legal proceedings will follow.
The case has been lengthy and packed with detailed testimony, so it’s understandable if Kanye appeared fatigued. Still, he may need to stay sharper as the trial continues if he hopes to come out on top.
