Kanye West Reaches Lawsuit Settlement With Ex-Yeezy Employee Over Wage Issues

BYGabriel Bras Nevares1.9K Views
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Power 106 Presents Powerhouse
ANAHEIM, CA - JUNE 03: Rapper Kanye West performs onstage at the Power 106 Powerhouse show at Honda Center on June 3, 2016 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
Taliah Leslie accused the rapper of violating California's labor laws and refused to reimburse her for work-related expenses.

Kanye West isn't just dropping singles for his upcoming Ty Dolla $ign collab album; he's also taking care of other long-awaited, but much more important business. Moreover, according to AllHipHop, he settled a lawsuit from former Yeezy employee Taliah Leslie. From what legal documents indicate, the details of this development are still under wraps in the public eye, so we don't know how they agreed on the matter. For those unaware, back in 2021, Leslie accused the rapper and various company executives of breaking California labor law in matters of employee classification and benefits. After a long battle in court, it seems like this is one less legal headache for Ye.

Furthermore, the alleged violation of these regulations stems from how Yeezy supposedly classified Leslie's employment status incorrectly. She alleged that higher-ups, including Kanye, restricted employees from certain wages and benefits by inaccurately classifying them as independent contractors. In addition, he allegedly refused to cover obligatory travel to and from Wyoming and France. Other things that the Chicago native failed to reimburse Leslie for, given her claims, are phone bills, Internet bills, and other trip expenses that she needed to spend in order to do her job. This is not the only lawsuit against Kanye from a former employee.

Kanye West At The Yeezy Season 3 Show In 2016

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 11: Kanye West performs during Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 on February 11, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Yeezy Season 3)

Unfortunately for him, this is but a small footnote in the long list of trouble, legal action, and controversy that he must deal with these days. Most recently, that manifested in Kanye West's apparent altercations with Harley Pasternak, which was one of the oddest stories to come out so far this week. Time will tell whether he's able to knock off all of these one by one or if other lawsuits will prove more difficult to dismiss. But not even that could change much; after all, the 46-year-old's return to the public eye hasn't been the most acclaimed of comebacks.

This reality, paired with other lawsuits concerning Donda Academy and many more, signifies an uphill battle. Perhaps he will turn things around for himself in 2024. Ye has a lot to prove, a lot to repent for, but plenty of resources to fix his wrongs and hopefully learn something in the process. On that note, come back to HNHH for the latest news and updates on Kanye West.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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