Kanye West’s former business manager ended his $4.5 million lawsuit against the rapper/producer. According to The Blast, Thomas St. John dropped the breach of contract case with prejudice. St. John won’t be able to refile the claim.
St. John sued Kanye after Ye allegedly stopped paying a monthly fee for business management services. The lawsuit said St. John was supposed to receive a monthly retainer fee of $300,000 for a deal signed in 2022. St. John wanted a two-year guarantee in the agreement, but the two sides compromised with a minimum term of 18 months.
Kanye allegedly tried to axe the deal shortly after agreeing to it. The lawsuit recalled a contentious meeting with Ye when he attempted to get out of the contract.
“At this meeting, Mr. West became heated and aggressive,” St. John’s lawyers wrote. “He screamed at Mr. St. John and made clear he no longer wanted to work with [St. John]. When confronted by the 18-month commitment that had just been made, Mr. West stated words to the effect of ‘The 18-month term was b#######’ and ‘You’re insane for even thinking I would stick to it.’”
St. John filed his lawsuit in 2022 but had trouble tracking down Kanye. St. John eventually requested more time to serve Ye with legal papers, joining other plaintiffs who struggled to find Kanye in separate legal cases.
Last year, Kanye responded to St. John by countersuing. Ye claimed the contract wasn’t enforceable, noting how he didn’t get to consult with his lawyers before he signed it. The polarizing artist said he was “sleep-deprived, stressed, anxious and under duress” during his negotiations with St. John.
Kanye admitted he signed the deal but insisted he was not in a good state of mind when he encountered St. John. Ye cited his divorce as his major source of stress at the time.