Kanye West is facing a lawsuit from a security guard named Jonathan Monroe, who says the rapper never paid him for the hours he worked for him — and fired him when he asked for payment.
In legal documents reviewed on tuesday by TMZMonroe said West, 47, told him in August 2021 that he would pay him a $30 hourly wage to provide security at a Malibu, California, home he was unsuccessfully trying to renovate.
Monroe said in legal documents that he worked between 36 and 50 hours a week for the Grammy-winning artist, whose career has taken a dip amid a barrage of anti-Semitic comments he has made since the fall of 2022.
Monroe told the court he was never paid a dime for his work and time, and was fired in October 2021 after complaining about the lack of payment.
Monroe is suing West for unpaid wages, interest on the amount and damages in the lawsuit, which comes three years after the short-lived appearance.
Kanye West, 47, is facing a lawsuit from a security guard named Jonathan Monroe, who says the rapper never paid him for the hours he worked for him — and fired him when he asked for payment. Pictured in LA in May
Monroe said West told him in August 2021 that he would pay him a $30 hourly wage to provide security at a Malibu, California home he was unsuccessfully trying to renovate.
In July, West finally offloaded his Malibu mansion after lowering the asking price by as much as $14 million.
The final price for which the mansion was sold was estimated at approximately $21 million, TMZ reported.
The Heartless rapper initially purchased the home in 2021, designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Photos published in June showed the beachfront home completely gutted without windows.
In online data obtained by TMZWest’s mansion was put into escrow in July. The property – which has four bedrooms and five bathrooms – was originally listed for sale for $53 million, but in April this year the music artist dropped the asking price astronomically to $39 million.
West began construction work but did not complete the project of the 4,000-square-foot home, which borders the Pacific Ocean.
One of the workers hired to help clear the home said The New Yorker in June that West wanted to create a “fallout shelter” and his “Batcave.”
Kulapat Yantrasat, an architect, also told the publication: “To be honest, he didn’t like the house, he didn’t like the interior.”
Originally, the mansion – which has no plumbing or electricity – was painted white at the back and had floor-to-ceiling windows on every level.
West, seen in Milan in February, is being sued for unpaid wages, interest on the amount and damages in the lawsuit, which comes three years after the short-lived crackdown
According to online records obtained by TMZ, West’s mansion was put into escrow last summer
Photos taken in July showed the glass windows had been removed, leaving a clear view of the empty, concrete walls and floors
The Grammy-winning artist notably brought in Selling Sunset real estate agent Jason Oppenheim in his attempt to sell the home late last year, TMZ reported earlier in April.
Photos taken in July showed the glass windows had been removed, leaving a clear view of the empty concrete walls and floors.
West in particular brought Sunset real estate agent Jason Oppenheim in the fold in his attempt to sell the house late last year, TMZ previously reported in April.
Oppenheim told the outlet he was optimistic about the chances of selling the distressed property in the upscale area, likening the property to “essentially a blank canvas” for potential buyers.
The Carnival artist, who purchased the home for $57 million in late 2021, was previously unable to convert it into a “fallout shelter” after involving famed Japanese architect Ando in the renovation process.
Monroe’s lawsuit is yet another in a series of headaches related to West’s ill-fated home project in the upscale Southern California resort town.
West was also sued by the renovation project’s former manager, Tony Saxon, who claims he was fired after “raising concerns about the extreme danger” of the project.
In September 2023, sources said TMZ that West wanted to remove the windows and electricity from the house to turn it into “a 1910s bomb shelter.”
In Saxon’s lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, he stated that he was hired for the project in September 2021 and worked 16 hours a day at the beach house.
In September 2023, sources told TMZ that West wanted to remove the windows and electricity from the house to turn it into a “1910s bomb shelter.”
He claimed he slept on the floor of the house while working as a “project manager, caretaker and 24/7 security” for the property.
Saxon alleged that West only paid him for one week of work and ignored all of his concerns until he was ultimately fired in November 2021 after refusing to remove the home’s windows and electricity.
In the lawsuit, Saxon said the rapper’s vision for the house was to create something like “a 1910s fallout shelter,” according to NBC Newsand demolish the marble bathrooms, as well as remove the windows, plumbing and electricity.
He also reportedly wanted to replace the stairs with slides.
Saxon reportedly sued West for a number of labor law violations, more than $1 million in unpaid wages and damages.
“We were going to take all that out and build him a Bat Cave of sorts,” Saxon explained, adding that the rapper wanted a place where he could “hide from the Clintons and the Kardashians.”
While Saxon believed the house was more of an “art project,” he later came to realize that West actually wanted to live in it.
He said West “didn’t want electricity.” He just wanted to plant. He just wanted candles. He just wanted battery lighting. And he just wanted everything open and dark.”