At the moment, there’s a trial going on between Tony Saxon and Kanye West over the demolition of a mansion. While Saxon claims he was injured during this process, Ye’s team is saying that he “destroyed” the massive house. Now, new details are coming out about the property in question, and one of them has to do with the alleged lack of toilets.
In the case at hand, the plaintiff, Tony Saxon, is claiming that he was ordered to “hollow out” the mansion designed by acclaimed architect Tadao Ando that West bought for $57.3 million. Meanwhile, the rapper’s team is claiming that Saxon was an independent contractor who earned more than $240,000 and operated without a license. Rolling Stone provided an account of what was told to the jury during this trial, and it included details about what Ye wanted in this home.
Apparently, West wanted to turn this mansion into an “off-the-grid shelter,” Saxon’s lawyer, Ron Zambrano, said. He also reportedly wanted a lot of features ripped out, including electrical outlets, wiring, a jacuzzi, fireplaces, plumbing, and toilets. Speaking specifically about what Ye wanted (or didn’t want) when it came to the toilets, Zambrano said:
He wanted no toilets. If people had to go No. 2, it was a hole in the ground.
Taking toilets and various other appliances and features out, apparently, is not the only thing West wanted done. Saxon’s lawyer went on to say that Ye wanted his client to replace cement steps between the ocean and his pool, and it was alleged that all this work was to be done without permits.
Eventually, Saxon was fired after he voiced concerns about the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning in relation to the site’s generators. Zambrano said that his client is owed $75,000. He also claimed that Saxon sustained injuries that have caused him lasting harm.
Meanwhile, West’s team told the story in a very different way. His lawyer, Andrew Cherkasky, claimed that Saxon was hired to do “renovation prep work.” However, he says that the plaintiff “destroyed the Ando house.”
Cherkasky claimed that when it came to the bathrooms, West was apparently not in the know about that. The lawyer said:
It was Saxon who set for himself an impossible standard. He wanted to work 24/7. He wanted to camp at the house. He wanted to be the guy in charge. Ye will tell you he was shocked hearing there was no bathroom there. … Nobody asked [Saxon] to stay there, certainly not overnight.
He went on to explain that apparently, there is “not a single medical record” that proves Saxon was injured on the job.
To provide a bit of a timeline here, Zambrano claimed that Saxon was hired after he met with Ye’s now-wife, Bianca Censori, in September 2021. Notably, at the time, West was still married to Kim Kardashian, and they settled their divorce in 2022. Saxon filed his lawsuit in 2023.
This is not the first lawsuit West has been involved in in recent years. For example, back in 2022, he got a $7 million lawsuit over his canceled Coachella performance. In 2024, he was sued by former employees who he allegedly called “new slaves.” He was also sued by a former assistant for alleged sexual assault and more. That’s not it either, according to Rolling Stone, this case with Saxon is the first to reach a jury amid a bunch of civil complaints toward Ye that have come up over the past six years.
So, with all that being said, as we learn more about this house, its apparent lack of bathrooms and the various claims from both parties, we’ll keep you posted.
