Kanye West has finally found a buyer for his crumbling Malibu mansion, but not without leaving a trail of controversy and lawsuits in his wake.
The property, which the rapper purchased for $57 million in 2021, is now in escrow, according to TMZ.
The mansion, known for its stunning views of the Pacific Ocean, was originally listed for $53 million before West dropped the price to $39 million in April 2024. The drastic price cut came after West stripped the home of all fixtures and fittings. interior, leaving it a skeletal structure of its former glory.
Sources previously told The Post that the home is likely to sell for even less than the $39 million asking price. The sale has not yet closed and it is unclear what the final price is.
Listing representative Jason Oppenheim of the Oppenheim Group did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
Photos and videos published by the New Yorker in June showed the property’s windows removed and its railings rusting in the salty sea air.
“This will be my bomb shelter. This is going to be my Batcave,” West reportedly told a worker during the demolition process, as revealed in a media interview.
The trouble did not end with the state of the house.
In September 2023, Tony Saxon, a former employee hired to manage the remodel, sued West for allegedly unsafe working conditions and unpaid wages. The lawsuit is still in court.
Saxon, who claims he was hired as a project manager and served as a full-time security guard and custodian, described his grueling 16-hour work days in the lawsuit.
His responsibilities included cleaning, construction, demolition, coordinating workers, hiring contractors and providing 24/7 security.
Saxon claims he was forced to sleep in “makeshift conditions” on the ground with his coat as a bed and that his complaints about safety hazards – such as “workers unsafely demolishing various parts of the house without equipment security” – were ignored by West. .
The final blow came when Saxon refused to remove all the windows and electricity from the home, leading to his firing in November 2021. According to the lawsuit, West told Saxon, “If you don’t do what I say, you’re not going to work for me, I will no longer be your friend and you will only see me on TV.”
Saxon also claims he was promised $20,000 a week but only received a $20,000 payment for his services and another $100,000 as the project’s weekly budget.
His attorney, Ron Zambrano, filed a mechanics lien on the property in January 2024, which could potentially force the sale of the property to cover the $1 million West allegedly still owes Saxon. The current status of that lien is unknown.
“We just want to make sure [West] has enough money to pay off the more than $1 million he still owes our client before he’s completely broke,” Zambrano told People.
An attorney for West did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando, the house includes 4,000 square meters of indoor space and 1,500 square meters of outdoor living area.
When the property was listed, Oppenheim appreciated the rarity of owning a home designed by one of the world’s most famous minds, noting that Ando has designed fewer than 20 homes in the US.
“I wanted to have a listing with such architectural pedigree,” Oppenheim told People, adding that the property’s location on Malibu Road is “one of the most desirable areas in the world.”
He stressed that the property’s value was “really in its structure”, with the house being built from approximately 1,200 tonnes of concrete, 200 tonnes of steel rebar and 12 “massive” piles driven more than 60 meters into the sand.
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Image Source : nypost.com
