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Edward Berthelot / Getty
- Ye is accused in a recent lawsuit of making death threats against a former employee.
- The plaintiff claims he was instructed to investigate the Kardashian family.
- The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiff was directed to hire private investigators to secretly follow Ye’s wife.
Ye, the controversial artist previously known as Kanye West, is embroiled in a new legal battle where he allegedly threatened to kill an employee tasked with probing into strange conspiracy theories related to the Kardashian family.
The individual, referred to as “John Doe,” is a military veteran who filed this lawsuit on Thursday in California. According to court documents, Ye hired him around December 2022 following his brief announcement about running for president in 2024.
Initially brought on board as Ye’s “deputy campaign director,” John Doe later transitioned into the role of “director of intelligence.” In this capacity, he was asked to investigate various lawsuits against Ye and his brand Yeezy, along with other associated entities.
“John Doe was also assigned by Ye to look into allegations concerning the Kardashian family and their supposed connections with criminal activities, including alleged sex trafficking,” states the lawsuit.
Furthermore, it claims that Ye directed John Doe to engage private investigators for covertly tracking his wife Bianca Censori during her travels back home to Australia for family visits.
Representatives for both Ye and the Kardashian clan—comprising Kim Kardashian—did not respond promptly when approached by Business Insider for comments on Thursday.
Kardashian initiated divorce proceedings from Ye in February 2021 after seven years together. Initially appearing amicable—the couple even recreated their wedding during one of Ye’s listening events—their relationship soured after Kardashian began dating comedian Pete Davidson. In January 2022, tensions escalated when Ye expressed violent sentiments towards Davidson through music lyrics and publicly criticized Kardashian’s parenting choices regarding their daughter North West. In response, she stated via Instagram that “Ye’s obsession with controlling our situation negatively only brings more pain.”
The divorce settlement concluded in November 2022. By December of that year, hints about his relationship with Censori emerged when he shared a track titled “Censori overload” on Instagram. Reports surfaced in January 2023 indicating they had undergone a symbolic wedding ceremony.
Lawsuit Claims Threats from ‘Enforcers’
The plaintiff asserts within this legal filing that after reporting an allegation of child abuse at Donda Academy—Ye’s private Christian school—he faced threats against his life and termination from employment earlier this year.
“Almost immediately afterward,” states the lawsuit, ”on that very day itself, Ye called John Doe angrily threatening him with severe bodily harm or even death if he disclosed what he’d learned.” The suit quotes him saying: “‘You’re dead to me!’” Additionally, it mentions recordings played by Ye featuring ominous voices threatening harm towards John Doe.”
In subsequent days and weeks following these incidents—which exacerbated John Doe’s PTSD—the former employee reportedly received menacing communications from individuals identified as “enforcers” linked with Ye.
The suit contends these threats intensified his mental health struggles significantly due to prior trauma experienced while serving in combat roles.
“It is evident that due diligence reports made by Plaintiff regarding unlawful activities—including child abuse allegations—led Yeezy and its founder retaliating through intimidation tactics,” reads part of the complaint.
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Lawsuit Details Allegations Against Yeezy
The plaintiff accuses ye not only of retaliation but also intentional infliction of emotional distress alongside numerous labor law violations such as unpaid wages.
“Ye must take responsibility for accumulating these legal troubles; mistreating employees while neglecting payment obligations violates multiple employment regulations,” stated Ron Zambrano—a partner at West Coast Employment Lawyers representing John Doe—in an official statement.
Zambrano has previously filed similar lawsuits against ye concerning other ex-employees’ grievances too; adding: “Our client fears so much due To ye’s unpredictable behavior they prefer anonymity out Of concern For personal safety.”
“It is both illegal And morally reprehensible For any employer To threaten An employee With physical harm or death,” Zambrano emphasized further.
The plaintiff seeks over $1 million encompassing punitive damages alongside compensation including owed wages according To Zambrano.
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