A Los Angeles County Superior Court has ordered rapper Kanye West to pay $76,000 in legal fees following his unsuccessful attempt to dismiss a harassment lawsuit filed by a former Jewish employee. The ruling came after West, who legally changed his name to Ye, tried to use an anti-SLAPP motion to have the case thrown out, arguing that his offensive communications were protected as artistic expression.
Judge Theresa Traber rejected West’s motion, labeling it “frivolous” and “unpersuasive” in her ruling. The court specifically noted that firing an employee based on discriminatory grounds could not reasonably be considered artistic expression or protected speech. Text messages submitted as evidence showed West repeatedly sent antisemitic messages to the plaintiff, including phrases declaring himself “a Nazi.” This legal setback adds to West’s mounting controversies related to alleged workplace misconduct.
Judge Traber’s ruling emphatically rejected West’s artistic expression defense, clarifying that workplace discrimination falls outside protected speech boundaries.
The lawsuit, brought by a former marketing specialist identified as Jane Doe, is one of several legal challenges West currently faces from ex-employees. Various plaintiffs have accused the musician of sexual harassment, assault, and creating a hostile work environment. One particularly serious allegation came from a former assistant who claimed West subjected her to repeated sexual assaults during her employment, which lasted nearly two years. Former assistant Lauren Pisciotta has filed an amended complaint alleging West forced her to witness him engaging in sexual acts with others while she was employed at Yeezy.
West’s defense strategy, reportedly supported by his chief of staff Milo Yiannopoulos, centered on his status as an artist and public figure. His legal team attempted to frame his controversial communications as expressions protected under free speech provisions. The court, however, found this argument disconnected from the legal realities of workplace harassment law. Unlike the protections granted to artists through performance rights organizations, workplace communications lack similar creative expression safeguards. Despite his legal troubles, West continues to earn substantial income through sync deals with various media productions, though these revenue streams could be threatened by his ongoing controversies.
The substantial fee award serves both as compensation for the plaintiff’s attorneys and as a deterrent against similar tactics in future litigation. Legal experts view the ruling as a rare financial penalty against West in his ongoing legal battles.
The case has progressed through several procedural stages since its initial filing, with amended complaints detailing additional incidents throughout 2025. The fee order highlights growing judicial impatience with attempts by celebrities to evade accountability for alleged misconduct, particularly in professional settings where power dynamics heavily favor employers.
