Kanye Ordered to Pay $52K After ‘Donda’ Discovery Fight
Kanye West — who now goes by Ye — is back in the headlines for another courtroom clash. A federal judge has ordered Ye to cover $52,015 in attorneys’ fees after finding that his legal team dragged its feet and stonewalled discovery in a lawsuit over two songs from his 2021 album Donda.
The suit, brought by Artist Revenue Advocates, LLC, centers on the tracks “Moon” and “Hurricane.” The group claims DJ Khalil and three other collaborators contributed copyrighted material that Ye used without formal clearance.
While Ye’s team did credit the contributors as songwriters and producers, the plaintiffs say that wasn’t enough — and that the songs generated as much as $15 million in revenue without proper agreements or permissions.
According to court filings, the fight over discovery was intense. Plaintiffs say Ye’s lawyers opposed all 65 discovery requests and didn’t hand over any documents, forcing them to go to court to get what they’d asked for. The magistrate reviewed the billing invoices and pegged the fees at $52,015 — a tab Ye’s attorneys argued was excessive.
In a filing, Ye’s lawyers pushed back, saying the plaintiffs used “too many high-priced senior lawyers” and urging the judge to slash the award to $15,000. The judge disagreed, saying the level of opposition from Ye’s side justified the hours billed by the plaintiffs’ legal team.
The judge also ordered Ye’s companies to provide the materials that had been requested and to cover the costs connected to obtaining compliance.
This fee order is part of a broader, ongoing federal lawsuit filed in 2023 that could eventually determine whether Ye and his companies are liable for copyright infringement over the two disputed songs. If the plaintiffs prevail, the case could result in significant financial consequences for Ye — which would add to his long list of legal headaches.
And as if legal drama weren’t enough, Ye’s recent public spats have kept headlines rolling. In a since-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter) on April 20, Ye claimed he and Jay-Z clashed over a lyric on the Donda track “Jail” — a line Ye said referenced his support of Donald Trump and the MAGA hat.
Ye suggested Jay-Z may have come under pressure to include the lyric; Jay-Z has not publicly responded.
For now, the discovery fee ruling is a small but pointed victory for the artists and their lawyers, and another reminder that disputes over credits, clearances and compensation continue to follow modern music big names like Ye.
What do you think — is the fee fair, or just another skirmish in a never-ending legal war around big-name releases? Share your thoughts.
