Kanye West will use his emotional state amid divorce to defend not paying his business manager $4.5 million. Once again, the contracts he didn’t read are somehow someone else’s fault.
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The 46-year-old is attempting to skate out of a contract with his ex-manager. Kanye claimed he was too stressed from his divorce from Kim Kardashian to read it carefully, RadarOnline.com reported.
The court documents obtained by the publication detail the claims made by his former associate, Thomas St. John, at a hearing last week.
During court proceedings, the judge set a trial date for October 28, 2024. Both parties are still arranging the dates for their depositions.
In 2022, St. John sued the Grammy winner for fraud and breach of contract, and the complaint contends Kanye failed to pay the $4.5 million he owed him for the year and a half he was under contract.
Ye hired St. John in March, and the rapper agreed to pay the advisor $300k monthly to help guide his career.
“By 2022, Ye’s artistic and professional career took a turn for the worse as a result of his various antics and public statements. Ye needed guidance from a respected, sophisticated business manager who could right the ship and guide his career going forward,” the documents read.
St. John asserts they agreed upon an 18-month deal which stated the business manager would receive the remaining balance if the entertainer broke the contract early. Luckily St. John included this clause because just three months after the deal began, Kanye gave him his walking papers.
The businessman claims he confronted Mr. West about the funds that were owed. The musician reportedly refused payment, stating:
“The 18-month term was b——” and “You’re insane for even thinking I would stick to that.”
That sounds like something Ye would say.
Can’t Tell Him Nothing: Instead Of Paying Up, Kanye West Doubles Down And Demands A Refund From Thomas St. John
Kimberly’s ex didn’t take the lawsuit lightly. He demanded St. John refund the $900k he remitted for his services. Kanye asserts he didn’t owe his ex-biz manager one coin because he “failed to perform or performed so poorly that any future payment by [West] would be unreasonable and unfair.”
Further, he accused St. John of not keeping up his end of the deal as the acclaimed producer stated his ex-business manager didn’t properly advise him to get a lawyer to review the contract.
The Donda Academy founder is reaching. He’s been in the game long enough to know an attorney should brief any contract before signing. Plus, how was St. John responsible for his lack of business acumen at that point before he was even hired?
Kanye’s legal team said, “in the midst of a high-profile divorce that was incessantly covered by the media. Ye is an ordinary target of paparazzi, but during this time, the volume of stressful paparazzi interactions was especially pronounced.”
“As a result of the stress of the divorce, media coverage, and paparazzi hounding, Ye was chronically sleep-deprived, stressed, anxious, and under duress. As a result, Ye did not read the Agreement before signing it. Mr. St. John knew of the taxing circumstances Ye found himself in, knew that Ye was not then in a fit condition to evaluate a contract worth $5.4 million without the advice of counsel,” the court documents read.
Kanye winning seems like a long shot. He likely received advice to settle out of court, but history shows “you can’t tell [him] nothing.”
Since both parties are unwilling to reach an agreement, they are preparing to go to trial.
As previously reported, Kanye’s former Gap business partners sued him for $2 million. The clothing brand claimed he made unapproved alterations to a leased building before their collaboration fell through.
Looks like the court may become a second home for Kanye in the months and years to come.
