All About Laughs
One thing about Kanye? Kanye will Kanye. The Chicago rapper has been known to go off the rails with self-absorbed rants and complaints when things seemingly do not benefit him in the way he envisions that it should. Kanye has undoubtedly taken his dreams and brought them to reality, often innovating as he goes. But along with that has come outlandish moments, such as his reported outburst in a recent court-ordered hearing.
Kanye has had his share of legal troubles throughout his career. Most recently, he’s had a flurry of issues pertaining to his “Sunday Service” movement. The Daily Mail reports of two class-action lawsuits that could amount to over $30 million in damages. The detailed report shares that almost 1,000 performers and staff members failed to receive compensation while working on various events, mainly his “Nebuchadnezzer” at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
A source reported to The Sun, “They’ve got hundreds of people on board already, but they’re talking to many, many others who want to be a part of it. People are very upset [about] how they were treated, saying it’s their worst experience.”
The source added, “People in the lawsuit are asking their friends who’ve worked on previous Sunday Services, and they’re jumping at the chance, they want to get involved and talk about their horrible time.”
Recently, another lawsuit has been filed by his former assistant designer, Taliah Leslie, claiming that the “Jesus Walks” rapper and the Yeezy brand failed to pay for her services as well as giving her duties of full-time staffed employees while she was only an independent contractor. The suit accuses Kanye of breaching California labor laws and Leslie is asking for an undisclosed amount for the damages, according to HCA Magazine.
Kanye is also involved in a legal battle with a tech company called MyChannel Inc. A TMZ report showed that the video and eCommerce company, which is also a Black-owned business, is suing the rapper after promises made to them were left unfulfilled and their hard work was in vain.
The company alleges that Kanye promised to invest $10 million and that they would have a worthwhile partnership. Taking his word, the company would often move their operation to California from Pennsylvania, then finally to Illinois. Attorneys Ben Meiselas and Michael Popok claim that employees of the company worked over 10,000 man-hours in order to fulfill everything Kanye needed and make operations go without a hitch.
Eventually, the company claims that Kanye ditched them within 6 months, leaving them high and dry after they also invested $7 million of their own capital into his project. They also allege that Kanye used their technology and ideas and applied it to his Sunday Service. MYC is reportedly seeking $20 million in damages.
The fight rages on as court proceedings have begun. MYC has reportedly been requesting an in-person deposition, but according to a report from AllHipHop, a virtual one was granted as COVID-19 concerns are still an issue. During the hearing, it is being reported that Kanye went off the rails and even directed his anger to attorney Michael Popok.
Court filings obtained by AllHipHop show that during the 10-minute deposition, which was described as “heated”, Kanye refused to look at the MYC attorneys and repeatedly referred to them as “boy”. He also reportedly refused to answer any questions and kept speaking on his “mental genius-ness.” The filing also shares that Kanye stated to MYC’s attorneys that they were “lucky to be deposing the richest Black man in America and a Black Trump supporter and that he couldn’t be bothered with the deposition because he had lives (and diets) to change.”
“West’s bad faith efforts to sabotage the deposition will be viewed by the Court as one of the most outrageous and inappropriate deposition performances it has observed as well,” reportedly stated one of MyChannel’s members of their legal team, Ben J. Meiselas. They are hoping to have him for an in-person deposition as early as next month.
