Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, is facing mounting legal and financial fallout as a Los Angeles judge ordered him to pay nearly $100,000 in attorneys’ fees tied to a failed attempt to dismiss an antisemitism lawsuit filed by a marketing specialist at the mogul’s YZY Pods department.
The plaintiff, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, filed suit last year, accusing Ye of antisemitic harassment, gender-based discrimination, and retaliatory firing. The lawsuit includes text messages in which Ye allegedly wrote, “I am a Nazi” and “Welcome to the first day of working for Hitler.”
Ye’s legal team argued the lawsuit should be dismissed under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, which protects free speech. His attorneys claimed the messages were part of a “continuous, provocative performance” protected by the First Amendment. In June, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Theresa M. Traber rejected that argument, stating Ye’s conduct could not be shielded by artistic expression in a private workplace.
In her ruling, Judge Traber called Ye’s motion “rife with defects, specious arguments and misstatements of law,” and labeled it a frivolous attempt to delay the case. She concluded the artist and his company must face the allegations in court and could not hide behind claims of performance art.
On July 30, Doe’s legal team filed a motion requesting $99,720 in attorneys’ fees for defending against the anti-SLAPP motion. The figure accounts for 106.7 billable hours at rates between $650 and $1,100 per hour. Ye’s representatives have yet to respond to the fee demand. His legal team has appealed the judge’s ruling.
The case adds to Ye’s growing list of legal entanglements. He lost major brand deals with Adidas, Balenciaga, and The Gap in 2022 after making a series of antisemitic public comments. In February, he aired a Super Bowl ad promoting merchandise bearing Nazi imagery, reigniting controversy.
Separately, Ye is also facing multiple civil lawsuits from former staffers, including one filed by a former assistant alleging sexual assault and human trafficking.
Once a dominant force in music and fashion, Ye now faces an increasingly precarious legal future, shaped by his own incendiary words and actions.
Leave a Reply