Kanye West Headed to Trial in $4.5 Million Battle With Ex-Biz Manager Who He Claims Had Him Sign Contracts While Sleep Deprived
Jun. 9 2023, Published 1:30 p.m. ET
Kanye West is set to face off with his ex-business manager in court where he will argue their deal is unenforceable because he was too stressed out from his divorce from Kim Kardashian to read it properly, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, last week, a hearing was held as part of Kanye’s fight with his former associate, Thomas St. John.
At the hearing, the judge presiding over the case set the trial date as October 28, 2024. The parties are currently setting dates for both sides to be deposed, including Kanye.
As RadarOnline.com first reported, last year, St. John sued West for breach of contract and fraud. In the complaint, he accused West of refusing to pay $4.5 million owed on his 18-month deal.
In March, St. John was hired by West who agreed to pay him $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.
St. John said he negotiated an 18-month contract which stated he would be paid out the remaining balance owed on the contract if terminated. West fired him 3 months into the deal, he claimed.
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The biz-manager said he confronted West about the money owed and the musician scoffed. He said Kim’s ex-husband told him, “The 18-month term was b------” and “You’re insane for even thinking I would stick to that.”
Kanye recently countersued St. John demanding the return of $900k paid for his services. He claimed the ex-biz manager wasn’t owed a dime 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 breaching the deal first. Kanye even accused the manager of failing to advise him to have a lawyer look at the contract.
West’s lawyer said his client was “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 suit read.
The parties, who do not appear willing to settle, are not gearing up for the trial.
As RadarOnline.com first reported, Kanye was recently sued his former business partners at The Gap for $2 million.