Kanye West has hit another roadblock in his attempts to sell his Malibu mansion.
Last year, the rapper, who now goes by the name Ye, listed the four-bedroom, beach-fronted house for $53 million, which is dramatically lower than the $57.3 million he paid to purchase it two years ago, according to Newsweek.
Now the sale has been blocked by the contractor, Tony Saxon, who claims Ye owes him more than six figures in unpaid fees.
Saxon, through his legal team, has filed a mechanic's lien on the sale to secure the money he claims is owed to him. Also known as a contractor's lien, it safeguards payment to contractors by prioritizing their compensation in the event of liquidation.
"If unpaid, it allows a foreclosure action, forcing the sale of the property in lieu of compensation," California law states.
Saxon is taking legal action for missed payments as well as disability discrimination, various labor code violations, unpaid wages, and wrongful termination.
"We just want to make sure he has enough money to pay the more than $1 million he still owes our client before he goes completely broke," Saxon's attorney, Ron Zambrano, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "So in this case, if someone wants to buy Kanye's Malibu home, they'll have to deal with us first. That sale cannot happen without Tony being paid."
Ye has denied the claims in Saxon's lawsuit, Newsweek reported.
The musician is said to have completely gutted the interiors of the mansion before putting it up for sale. "Selling Sunset" star Jason Oppenheim is managing the sale.
"What's missing are the interiors," Oppenheim told The Hollywood Reporter in December. He explained that, in order to rebuild the home's inside, the new owners would need to spend millions of additional dollars.
"It's priced to reflect the need for the interior finishes to be replaced. On the positive, it can be brought up to 2024 standards — it was built about 10 years ago," he said.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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