Kanye West Countersues Ex-Biz Manager For Return Of $900k, Says He Signed Deal While Sleep Deprived & Stressed From Kim Kardashian Divorce
Apr. 28 2023, Published 3:22 p.m. ET
Kanye West has demanded his ex-business manager return the $900k he was paid — claiming he signed an agreement with the man while he was sleep deprived and stressed from his divorce from Kim Kardashian, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, West has filed a bombshell countersuit against Thomas. St. John.
As RadarOnline.com first reported, last year, St. John sued West for breach of contract and fraud.
The business manager accused West of refusing to pay out the remaining due on his contract.
St. John was hired by West in March 2022. The suit said the Yeezy creator agreed to pay the business manager $300k per month.
“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 suit read.
In his suit, St. John said he negotiated an 18-month contract which stated he would be paid out if he was terminated. He said he was only paid 3 months before West abruptly fired him.
St. John said he confronted West about his money after being fired. The suit accused the rapper of telling his business manager, “The 18-month term was b------” and “you’re insane for even thinking I would stick to that.”
The lawsuit demanding $4.5 million in damages.
Now, Kanye has filed a response to the lawsuit along with a countersuit against St. John.
In his filing, he denied all allegations of wrongdoing. He argued that the agreement signed by the parties is invalid and unenforceable.
Further, West argued that the agreement was “procured” through “constructive fraud.”
He asked that, “If the Agreement is enforceable and not voidable, Defendants’ performance was excused in whole or in part due to Plaintiff’s failure to perform its contractual obligations.”
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West said St. John’s claims are barred because he “failed to perform or performed so poorly that any future payment by [West] would be unreasonable and unfair.”
In his countersuit, West demanded the return of $900k paid to St. John. he said the business manager breached the deal by failing to provide the services it promised.
Further, West said St. John did not advise him to call his lawyer to look over the alleged contract.
Ye’s lawyer wrote, “And indeed, nobody reviewed the Agreement on Ye’s behalf or advised Ye on the Agreement’s terms before Ye signed the Agreement, which Mr. St. John knew. In fact, Mr. St. John did not even advise Ye on the terms of the Agreement. Instead, Ye signed the Agreement on the spot.”
West’s lawyer said at the time the musician was “in the midst of a high-profile divorce that 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.”
The attorney argued that, “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 advice of counsel, and witnessed Ye sign the Agreement without reading it. Yet, Mr. St. John foisted the Agreement upon Ye, relying on the fact that he had garnered Ye’s trust.”
West has demanded the court find the deal invalid and awarded him back the money he paid St. John.