A security guard has filed a lawsuit against Kanye West alleging that the musician and fashion designer did not pay him for his services after he kept an eye on the defendant’s recently-sold mansion. Per TMZ, the plaintiff, identified as Jonathan Monroe, alleges that he was also relieved of his duties when he complained about not receiving his wages.
Monroe in the suit claims that he was hired by Kanye, 47, on a full-time basis in August 2021 to work as a security guard in his Malibu mansion, adding that he was supposed to earn $30 hourly.
The plaintiff alleges that prior to being terminated in October 2021, he had already clocked in 36 to 50 hours of work each week. Monroe, however, claims he was not paid for his services. He also alleges that he was relieved of his duties for taking issue with the non-payment of his wages.
Monroe claims he has since not been compensated. He is seeking unpaid wages in addition to interest as well as punitive damages.
The lawsuit filed against the College Dropout rapper comes after he sold his Malibu mansion – which he left abandoned – for $21 million. As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Kanye had innovative plans when he purchased the beachfront mansion for $57.3 million in 2021. But that project never saw the light of day, resulting in the home being abandoned and later put on the market.
Kanye eventually sold the home, though he had to significantly lower the price. Per TMZ, the beachfront home, designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando, was finally bought for $21 million by the California-based “real estate crowdfunding firm”, Belwood Investments.
Kanye’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian had filed for divorce from him when he purchased the home. Reports stated that he had initially intended to give the home a facelift by making it a bomb shelter. The My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy rapper ultimately tore the mansion down for the commencement of the new makeover, but the project came to a halt at a certain point.
Kanye then put the home on the market with an initial asking price of $53 million. His inability to get a buyer for the property forced him and his realtor to write off $14 million from the asking price. Belwood Investments ultimately purchased the abandoned property after the 47-year-old lowered the asking price again.
Bo Belmont, who is the CEO of Belwood Investments, said they’ll be investing an additional $5 million to renovate the home, adding that they aim to have the property returned to how Tadao initially designed it, TMZ reported.
Constructed in 2013, the three-story property is situated on a 0.13-acre beachfront, per the New York Post. The four-bedroom home has amenities such as a large, glass pivot door overlooking the beach, a garage, and five bathrooms, city records show.
