AceShowbiz - The ongoing legal battle between Kanye West and construction worker Tony Saxon over a $57 million Malibu mansion intensified on Wednesday as Saxon faced tough cross-examination and strongly refuted allegations of fraud.

During the trial, Ye’s attorney, Andrew Cherkasky, accused Saxon of committing a "most heinous fraud" and requested the case be dismissed, alleging Saxon lied about deleting an Instagram video relevant to the case. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brock T. Hammond declined to immediately rule on the dismissal request and allowed Cherkasky to question Saxon about the matter on the stand.

With jurors present, Cherkasky aggressively questioned Saxon, demanding, "Over lunch yesterday, you deleted the video after I showed it to you in my morning questioning, didn’t you, sir?" Saxon responded he had "no idea" what was being referred to and denied deleting any video. The judge cautioned Cherkasky to "lower the temperature" as the exchange grew tense.

When pressed further about his willingness to lie for financial gain, Saxon labeled the question "loaded" and explained the emotional toll of the trial. "This has been a very traumatic time in my life, a very traumatic trial," Saxon said. "Every night of the last two weeks has been hell for me."

Throughout his testimony, 35-year-old Saxon appeared stiff and often said he struggled to recall details, particularly about events from nearly five years ago. However, he firmly denied telling a psychiatrist in December 2021 that he voluntarily quit his job working for Ye. When confronted with the psychiatrist's notes, Saxon insisted, "He assumed that. That’s not what I told him."

Saxon initiated the lawsuit against Ye in 2023, claiming he was unfairly terminated after a seven-week period during which he performed demolition, project management, and security duties at the Malibu mansion. The contemporary concrete home was designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando.

Saxon contended he was misclassified as an independent contractor rather than an employee, suffered serious back and neck injuries on the job, and that Ye failed to obtain workers' compensation coverage. Saxon seeks compensation for unpaid wages, medical costs, and damages related to his injuries.

During cross-examination, Cherkasky questioned whether Saxon spoke with anyone in 2022 about his alleged injuries, specifically asking if he had communicated with any "humans with first names and last names" in English. Saxon invoked his Fifth Amendment right and refused to name any individuals not already disclosed. The judge compelled an answer, after which Saxon admitted he had described his pain to "various friends and acquaintances" but did not provide new names.

The defense also focused on an Instagram video Saxon posted to ABC News Nightline, in which he said he poured his "body and soul" into working for Ye and suffered a "broken" neck. Saxon clarified to jurors that his comment was figurative, explaining, "If something’s not 100 percent working, it’s broken. It’s an expression like, ‘I broke my ass.’ Something happened to cause prolonged pain that got worse and worse over time."

Cherkasky suggested Saxon may have embezzled money from the mansion project and covered it up by claiming his earnings came from selling vintage vinyl records. Saxon denied any wrongdoing.

In his legal filings, Saxon stated he was promised $20,000 per week as a project manager and security provider for the coastal construction site. He acknowledged receiving one $20,000 payment on September 29, 2021, and a second $100,000 payment on October 1, 2021, which reflected the weekly project budget.

Cherkasky repeatedly pressed Saxon about a third wire transfer of $120,000 sent by Ye’s accountant to another bank account Saxon opened during the project. With this included, Saxon confirmed receiving a total of $240,000 in wire transfers during his seven weeks on the job.

Saxon previously addressed the third payment during testimony with his own attorney, stating that he lost access to the second bank account after being fired and only recently retrieved records when he visited the bank. These records were handed over to Ye’s lawyers on February 12, 2026. According to court filings, Ye's legal team had discovered the third payment while reviewing bank records.

"There was an error made a couple years ago," Saxon explained. "I had forgotten about [the third payment]. I had no access to those bank statements."

Cherkasky pressed further, asking, "On what day did you realize there was a more than $100,000 error?" Saxon replied that he discovered the discrepancy when he retrieved the bank statements. "I think a lot of things got forgotten," Saxon said, directing the comment toward the defense.

Saxon and his attorney have emphasized to jurors that Ye’s team failed to produce any text messages from their side and criticized Ye for inconsistent legal representation earlier in the case.

During opening statements, Saxon’s lawyer Ronald Zambrano said much of the $240,000 was spent on project-related costs including materials, labor, and debris removal, estimating that around $160,000 went to these expenses. Saxon testified he believes he is still owed $60,000 plus compensation for medical expenses and lost wages tied to his injuries.

In a notable development Wednesday afternoon, Cherkasky called Milo Yiannopoulos to the witness stand to verify a video recording the defense claimed to have made in February, allegedly demonstrating that the Nightline video post was still accessible on Saxon’s Instagram account. The outcome of this authentication has yet to be disclosed.

The trial continues as parties present evidence and testimonies regarding the disputed payments, injury claims, and alleged misconduct in connection with the demolition and management of the Malibu property owned by Ye. The case remains closely watched given the high-profile nature of the defendant and the significant sums involved.