A former Yeezy employee who alleged that Kanye West subjected her to a “calculated campaign” of antisemitic and sexual harassment is demanding the rapper cover nearly $100,000 (£75,291) in legal fees.
The Jewish woman, who previously worked as a marketing specialist at West’s fashion brand, filed a lawsuit in February claiming that her tenure was filled with verbal abuse, discrimination, and “constant degradation of women.”
She claims that the rapper had reached out to her and another Jewish staff member in a group chat and wrote: “Welcome to the first day of working for Hitler.”
Other things he allegedly texted her included “Hail Hitler”, “You Ugly as Fuck,” “You stupid ass corny bitch”, “You Piece of Shit” and “Fuck You Bitch” before her abrupt termination after she reported West’s behaviour to her manager.
She further claims that West once texted her a photo of a nude woman and ordered her to work on his Yeezy Porn venture against her wishes, according to Rolling Stone.
In April, the rapper filed a motion to strike the complaint, claiming the ex-staffer was trying to “suppress” his constitutionally protected right to artistic expression.
“Ye is not merely a creator; he is art,” the filing said. “Ye’s public and private personas form a continuous, provocative performance that challenges societal taboos surrounding race, religion, gender, power, politics, and censorship.”
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A Los Angeles County judge denied West’s motion in June saying the motion was “rife with defects, specious arguments, and misstatements of law.” Judge Theresa M. Traber said the declarations West submitted from alleged witnesses, including one from the rapper’s self-described chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulos, were “totally lacking in personal knowledge or proper foundation upon which to base their asserted opinions.”
She also said the motion was “frivolous and/or solely intended to cause unnecessary delay,” and ordered West to pay for the claimant’s “reasonable” attorney’s fees and costs.
The woman is now seeking $99,720 (£75,080) in legal fees that she purportedly racked up fighting his failed attempt to dismiss her lawsuit. A hearing to determine the fairness of that amount has been set for September 12.
West’s lawyers are appealing the ruling that upheld the lawsuit.
In a failed filing last month that sought to disqualify the judge, his lawyers said Jane Doe “voluntarily entered a provocative creative environment” and later tried to reframe West’s creative expression as “unlawful,” in an alleged violation of West’s First Amendment right to free speech.
Elsewhere, on the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War in May, West released a song called ‘Heil Hitler’.
The song led to West being banned from travelling to Australia, with the country’s home affairs minister, Tony Burke, confirming that the rapper’s visa had been revoked last month.
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