It’s been over six months since Kanye West enraged his followers and business partners with anti-Semitic comments and other controversial behavior, and while the rapper has for the most part stayed off of social media (sometimes not by choice), the ramifications of his actions continue to play out in court. Perhaps the biggest loss that West incurred in the aftermath of his controversy was being dropped by Adidas, and as litigation continues between the two parties, the “Heartless” artist just landed a legal win.
Kanye West has been in a legal battle with Adidas since November 2022, following the dissolution of their business partnership at the height of his anti-Semitic rants. On May 30 a judge denied the athletic company’s request to re-freeze $75 million, Billboard reports, meaning that Ye will maintain control of a large amount of the money made from his Yeezy shoes. Adidas had filed the motion over concerns about how the rapper would use the funds, arguing that their brand could suffer “irreparable harm.”
The ruling, however, doesn’t put an end to the battle, as it only pertains to the German shoe company’s emergency motion. Adidas can reportedly still make a request to re-freeze the assets through a different order.
A win is still a win, though, for the pop culture icon, whose repeated anti-Semitic statements caused Kanye West to lose his billionaire status, as it wasn’t just Adidas but several others including Balenciaga, Def Jam and Vogue who severed ties with the artist. Adidas also took a big financial hit when it ended the professional relationship, with the company projected to lose over $1 billion in “full-year revenue.”
One can imagine nothing about this situation went over well with Adidas’ shareholders, and even amidst the company’s legal battle with Kanye West, the shareholders filed a lawsuit against Adidas, saying that former CEO Kasper Rorsted and current CFO Harm Ohlmeyer “intended to deceive” investors in regards to issues they were having with the celebrity. The suit also accuses the company of ignoring the risks of having an oversupply of Yeezy shoes, which has turned into a problem after they were taken off shelves.
While the company had plenty of offers to take the Yeezys off Adidas’ hands, it was announced in May that the remaining products would be sold, with a significant amount of the proceeds going to organizations including the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change, which was founded by the mother of the late George Floyd.
Ye’s battle with Adidas is not the only one he’s fighting. Two former employees of the rapper’s Donda Academy filed suit against him in April, making wild claims about the school — including its exorbitant sushi budget and ban on forks and chairs — and alleging they were fired for blowing the whistle on several health, safety and educational violations.
Kanye West has also filed a counter-lawsuit against his former business partner Thomas St. John, after the manager had sued Ye for $4.5 million he said he’s owed.
Kanye West may not be all over social media anymore — at least currently — but he’s got plenty going on behind the scenes, so we’ll have to see how each of these legal battles continues to play out and if he remains in control of that $75 million.
