Kanye West cites Kim Kardashian as excuse in suit against ex-manager

Los Angeles, California - Kanye West is firing back at an ex-business manager, saying the contract he signed with the man is not enforceable, partly because he signed without guidance from a lawyer while he was "stressed" during his divorce.

Kanye West says a deal he signed with an ex-business manager is not enforceable because he signed it without guidance while he was "stressed" during his divorce from Kim Kardashian.
Kanye West says a deal he signed with an ex-business manager is not enforceable because he signed it without guidance while he was "stressed" during his divorce from Kim Kardashian.

The documents filed by the artist and his Yeezy brand claim that at the time he signed a contract with business manager Thomas St. John, he was "sleep-deprived, stressed, anxious, and under duress," per TMZ.

Kanye says he met the man now suing him in March 2022, when St. John reached out to help him with the backlash that came from several social media meltdowns, TMZ reported.

The 45-year-old rapper and fashion designer agreed to put St. John on a $300,000 monthly retainer, which West allegedly failed to pay.

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Although Kanye admits to signing the contract, he says he did so without legal counsel, and that his judgement was clouded by his divorce from then-wife Kim Kardashian.

Kanye asks for almost $1 million back

Kanye also points to the "barebones" clause in the contract, which prevented the agreement from being terminated for the first 18 months, essentially keeping his funds flowing despite any work being done or not.

The business relationship only ended up lasting three months, but Ye is reportedly fed up with the lawsuit from St. John, which seeks $5.4 million.

He's now asking the judge to not only tear up the agreed-to contract, but to also have St. John pay him back the $900,000 he's already received from West.

Cover photo: Dimitrios Kambouris / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

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