Kanye West settles Donda Academy teachers’ lawsuits a month before trial

The rapper has reportedly struggled to find new legal representation following his recent controversial rants on social media

Kanye West. CREDIT: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Kanye West has reportedly settled lawsuits he was facing from teachers at his Donda Academy, a month before they were scheduled to go to trial.

The rapper, who has changed his name to Ye, has agreed to conditional settlements with the school’s former assistant principal Isaiah Meadows and teachers Cecilia Hailey, Chekarey Byers, and Timanii Meeks, who all sued West in 2023, per Rolling Stone.

Cases were initially scheduled to go to trial in April, but West had failed to show up to proceedings and his attorney asked to withdraw from the cases in August 2024, claiming the rapper had fired him and refused to pay his fees.

Since, West has reportedly been unable to find new legal representation due to a slew of highly controversial rants on social media.

West will have to fulfill his end of the agreement within 45 days, and the teachers will submit a request for dismissal to the Los Angeles Superior Court.

NME has contacted West’s representative for comment.

West opened the tuition-based Christian school in 2022. Named after his late mother, the school aimed to “prepare students to become the next generation of leaders” with the website stating at the time that the daily schedule included “full school worship, core classes of language arts, math and science, lunch & recess, enrichment courses including World Language, Visual Art, Film, Choir and Parkour”.

Fees were $15,000 (around £13,000) per year although, as stated on the admissions page of the website at the time, “Everyone is welcome to apply regardless of financial situation. Financial aid and scholarships are available for students who qualify”.
Kanye West. CREDIT: Edward Berthelot/GC Images
It was quickly mired in controversy after West’s first infamous anti-Semitic tirade in October 2022 that, among many other outlandish claims, saw him tell the Jewish community that they needed to “forgive Hitler” for the Holocaust – comments he apologised for back in 2023. Following the remarks, various families began pulling their children from the school.

Another lawsuit was filed last year by Trevor Phillips – a former employee of West. In the case, he accuses West of numerous explosive allegations including verbal abuse, threatening physical violence and comparing himself to Hitler.

As highlighted by various outlets including NBC News, Rolling Stone and Consequence, Phillips alleged that West told students that he wanted to shave their heads and lock them in cages. He also claims that the rapper frequently praised Hitler, and even compared himself to the Nazi leader on one occasion.

In February, Judge Thomas Long ordered West to pay a $2,560 fine and sit for his deposition by no later than April 30, but was unable to set a firm date as West’s lawyer Eduardo Martorell said he couldn’t guarantee communication with the rapper. “My client is not that reasonable. I can’t reach him,” he said, as reported by Rolling Stone.

Hailey and Byers were the first former Donda Academy staff to sue West in 2023, claiming that students were “at least two years behind” in their studies. Meanwhile, Meeks has accused West of banning crossword puzzles and colouring sheets, forbidding the use of hard chairs, and insisting on all classes be held on the first floor because he was “reportedly afraid of stairs”.

All the teachers have claimed they were unfairly fired when they told the school’s leadership of their concerns.
Kanye West attends the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards. CREDIT: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
In recent months, West has come under fire for selling a white T-shirt with a large swastika emblem on the chest, listed as “HH-01” on his website – possibly a reference to the “Heil Hitler” chant.

The site was later taken down by Shopify, though the online retailer later stated that the artist’s website was taken down due to the potential for fraud – not because it was selling a swastika t-shirt. Shopify did condemn the item, calling it “vile, disgusting and inexcusable”.

West then took to X (formerly Twitter) to say he’s had the idea for the t-shirt for “over eight years”. It came alongside a string of highly controversial posts which saw him rescind his apology to the Jewish community for his past anti-Semitic remarks, and go on to declare himself “a Nazi” and write: “I love Hitler”, as well as praise billionaire and X owner Elon Musk as “the most lit person that [has] ever been on Twitter”, following the latter’s accusations of Nazism at Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.

Then, the controversial rapper then seemed to backtrack on his earlier comments, taking to X to share that “after further reflection”, he’s “come to the realisation that I’m not a Nazi”. However, it was followed only a few days later by yet more swastika apparel appearing on his X page.

The aforementioned posting spree saw his X account taken down and deactivated, and it was later confirmed that the rapper had been dropped by his talent agency, and his former Chief Of Staff had quit the Yeezy company.

His rants in February also saw him declare “dominion” over his wife Bianca Censori after they attended the Grammys red carpet event, where she wore a see-through dress that revealed her naked figure. He also posted a series of tweets in support of Diddy and Chris Brown and urged for the former to be released from prison amid sexual abuse allegations.

In the time since the rant on social media, Kanye West’s ‘Vultures’ collaborator Ty Dolla $ign has condemned his hate speech, Charlie Puth begged West to stop promoting “incredibly dangerous” messages, and Friends star David Schwimmer called for action to be taken against the rapper for his hate-filled “Nazi” posts, arguing that “silence is complicity”.