A former employee who won a civil case against Kanye West earlier this year is now asking a judge to make the rapper pay $1.2 million in attorneys’ fees. According to court documents, Anthony Saxon Netelkos says his legal team is entitled to the payout after a jury found Ye liable under California’s Labor Code and awarded him $140,000 in damages.
Saxon’s attorneys argue the case was a “David-vs.-Goliath” fight that spanned 35 months, involved five different defense lawyers, extensive discovery, multiple depositions, and a two-week jury trial. They say they logged more than 740 attorney hours and incurred over $300,000 in out-of-pocket costs, handling the case on contingency, meaning they weren’t guaranteed a payday if they lost. They’re asking the court to apply a 1.75 multiplier to the fee total due to the case’s complexity and risk.
The filing also takes aim at Kanye’s litigation tactics, claiming his side made a $100,000 settlement offer just before trial, then later demanded Saxon pay $200,000 and issue a public apology after proceedings began. Saxon’s attorneys say they rejected both and pressed on to trial, which they won. They also accuse Kanye’s camp of filing a separate lawsuit against them before trial and attempting to use that dispute as leverage during settlement talks .
Now it’ll be up to the judge to decide whether the rapper’s $140,000 trial loss turns into a legal tab in the seven figures. Kanye’s spokesperson has signaled they will seek post-trial relief, arguing the damages award is “legally barred” because Saxon worked as an unlicensed contractor.
