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Kanye West‘s former business manager and Donda Academy CFO has filed a $4.5million lawsuit against the troubled rapper. 

Thomas St. John, head of the TSJ international accounting firm, accused West of refusing to pay 18-months’ worth of fees after St. John was brought on as his business manager in March, The Blast reports.  

The CFO claimed that when he confronted West about the $300,000-per-month retainer fee, the rapper grew ‘heated and aggressive’ and began cursing at him.  

The lawsuit states: ‘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 bulls***’ and ‘You’re insane for even thinking I would stick to it.” 

The suit is the latest drama surrounding West’s Donda Academy, which announced on Thursday that it would remain open just hours after the principal said it would shutdown amid backlash against the rapper over his anti-Semitic rants. 

The new lawsuit also spells trouble for West as his lawyers at the Greenberg Traurig, one of the largest legal firms in the world, said they would be cutting ties with him.  

Thomas St. John (above), head of the TSJ international accounting firm, is suing Kanye West for $4.5million after the rapper allegedly refused to pay retainer fees for bringing the accountant in as his business manager and CFO of Donda Academy

Thomas St. John (above), head of the TSJ international accounting firm, is suing Kanye West for $4.5million after the rapper allegedly refused to pay retainer fees for bringing the accountant in as his business manager and CFO of Donda Academy

Kanye West has returned to Twitter after Elon Musk took control of the platform following the completion of his $44billion takeover deal

St. John claims that the troubled rapper became aggressive when confronting him about the fees owed, with West allegedly cursing out the accountant for believing he would actually commit to paying $300,000-a-month for 18 months 

It's the latest drama surrounding West's Donda Academy. Pictured: Students at the school wear black Balenciaga uniforms designed by West himself. Above, Celtics basketball player Jaylen Brown pays a visit to the school

It’s the latest drama surrounding West’s Donda Academy. Pictured: Students at the school wear black Balenciaga uniforms designed by West himself. Above, Celtics basketball player Jaylen Brown pays a visit to the school

According to court documents obtained by The Blast, St. John secured an 18-month contract with West as ‘assurance that Defendants would not simply walk away from the business relationship.’

But the accountant claims West did just that after only paying fees for the first three months of service. 

The lawsuit states that West has an unpaid balance of $900,000 as of October, and will owe an additional $3.6 million by November 2023, when the 18-month contract was set to expire. 

TSJ noted that it was initially excited to work with the rapper and had to turn down two other potential clients to work with Yeezy. 

TSJ did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.

The breakdown in business comes as West’s empire continues to crumble over his anti-Semitic behavior, with Greenberg set to drop the rapper as their client, the Financial Times reports. 

‘We are taking steps in response to the reported remarks in accordance with ethical obligations and court rules,’ the Florida-based firm, which was founded by three Jewish men, said in a statement. ‘We condemn anti-Semitism and all hate speech or bigotry, which is repugnant to the core values we believe in and live.’ 

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Greenberg lawyers are currently defending West and his businesses in a civil suit brought by Ultra International Music Publishing in New York and in a federal suit by California performers hired to work on his 2019 Nebuchadnezzar opera. 

In the New York suit, the publishing company claims that West’s ‘Flowers’ track on his 2022 album Donda 2, infringes on their copyright by sampling a song written by Marshall Jefferson in 1986. 

In the California case, the performers alleged that they were not paid minimum wage or overtime, nor given adequate breaks, when working on the opera in Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl. 

A school in the Simi Valley, just north of Los Angeles, which is believed to be the Donda Academy

A school in the Simi Valley, just north of Los Angeles, which is believed to be the Donda Academy

The exclusive pre-K through 12 Donda Academy is located in a secret location in the Simi Valley just north of Los Angeles, and charges $15,000 per student

The exclusive pre-K through 12 Donda Academy is located in a secret location in the Simi Valley just north of Los Angeles, and charges $15,000 per student

Parents sign a non-disclosure agreement to keep the school's location secret

Parents sign a non-disclosure agreement to keep the school’s location secret

There are reportedly a number of celebrities' children in attendance - including R&B singer Keyshia Cole's son Daniel - and the school is well known for its high-powered basketball team

There are reportedly a number of celebrities’ children in attendance – including R&B singer Keyshia Cole’s son Daniel – and the school is well known for its high-powered basketball team

Amid the backlash against West, teachers at the school have reportedly quit

Amid the backlash against West, teachers at the school have reportedly quit 

West had brought on St. John as the CFO of the school in March, which included a fee of $300,000-a-month as he was also contracted as Yeezy's business manager

West had brought on St. John as the CFO of the school in March, which included a fee of $300,000-a-month as he was also contracted as Yeezy’s business manager 

While the school was reportedly shutting down, some parents of the students claimed the academy will continue to operate

While the school was reportedly shutting down, some parents of the students claimed the academy will continue to operate 

Pictured: Delivery notices stamped on the properties outer gate

Pictured: Delivery notices stamped on the properties outer gate

The future of West’s Donda Academy remains unclear after parents at the exclusive Christian school received an email near midnight on Wednesday explaining that the school would be ‘returning with a vengeance.’ 

It was a hard U-turn from a message they received just hours earlier from school administrators.

On Wednesday, Academy Principal Jason Angell sent an email to parents explaining that West, 45, had decided to close the school ‘effective immediately,’ with classes being cancelled as of Thursday.

But an internal email from ‘Parents of Donda’ obtained by TMZ told a much different story.

‘Join us tomorrow morning in worship for the return of Donda Academy,’ the email read. With the help of our parents and community, we are back and returning with a vengeance!’

‘The children of Donda are going to change the world,’ the message added.’ Apologies for the late email! See you bright and early!’

It is unclear whether the school itself is reopening in an official capacity, or whether parents and staff are taking it upon themselves to continue educating their children. 

Teachers have reportedly quit their positions at the school as they distance themselves from the troubled rapper.  

The curriculum has a strong focus on Christianity, the arts, and math and science. Students can take parkour as a physical activity, and the school has a strong high school basketball program

The curriculum has a strong focus on Christianity, the arts, and math and science. Students can take parkour as a physical activity, and the school has a strong high school basketball program

Donda Academy’s closure and sudden reopening come just two months after it started up in August. The school did not respond to DailyMail.com requests for comment. 

The exclusive pre-K through 12 school – named after West’s mother, Donda – is located in a secret location in the Simi Valley just north of Los Angeles, and charges $15,000 per student. About half the student body receives financial aid and scholarships, according to The Post.

The school enrolls about 100 students and employees 16 teachers.  Parents sign a non-disclosure agreement to keep the school’s location secret and to say nothing about it.

There are reportedly a number of celebrities’ children in attendance – including R&B singer Keyshia Cole’s son Daniel – and the school is well known for its high-powered basketball team. Rising star Robert Dillingham, 17, plays for the school, and NBA players like Celtics player Jaylen Brown have made appearances at the school. 

Tension: Foot Locker has become the latest company to sever ties with Kanye West amid the backlash against his recent anti-Semitic remarks in the latest blow to his fortune

Balenciaga

Creative Artists Agency

A host of high profile brands have dropped Ye in recent days and weeks amid ongoing controversy over his social media posts and rants

Yesterday, the rapper was embarrassingly escorted out of Skechers headquarters after showing up unannounced to pitch his Yeezy brand a day after being dropped by Adidas and having his songs banned by Peloton.

Ye was taken out by two ‘executives’ according to a statement released by the company Wednesday afternoon. 

Skechers representatives said in a statement: ‘Considering Ye was engaged in unauthorized filming, two Skechers executives escorted him and his party from the building after a brief conversation. Skechers is not considering and has no intention of working with West.

‘We condemn his recent divisive remarks and do not tolerate anti-Semitism or any other form of hate speech. The Company would like to again stress that West showed up unannounced and uninvited to Skechers corporate offices.’ 

West may have faced additional opposition if he had gotten a preapproved sit-down meeting with Skechers executives as the CEO Robert Greenberg and current President Michael Greenberg are both Jewish

The rapper’s removal from the shoe brand’s office comes mere hours after Adidas announced that it will continue to sell Yeezy products while removing the rapper’s moniker. 

Management said that they will sell the items under their own brand at the beginning of 2023, according to analysts. 

TJ Maxx, whose CEO is Ernie Herrman (pictured in 2014) follows Gap and Foot Locker in no longer stocking any Yeezy merchandise in its stores

TJ Maxx, whose CEO is Ernie Herrman (pictured in 2014) follows Gap and Foot Locker in no longer stocking any Yeezy merchandise in its stores 

It was feared that stores selling off-price designer goods such as TJ Maxx would receive all the unwanted Yeezy merchandise that other retailers have shunned

It was feared that stores selling off-price designer goods such as TJ Maxx would receive all the unwanted Yeezy merchandise that other retailers have shunned

What is Spotify’s policy on removing artists’ music from its platform? 

In a 2018 statement, Spotify explained its policy on whether to remove an artist’s tracks from its platform pertains directly to the music, rather than their personal conduct outside of the industry.

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‘Spotify does not permit content whose principal purpose is to incite hatred or violence against people because of their race, religion, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation. 

‘As we’ve done before, we will remove content that violates that standard… We don’t aim to play judge and jury.’

This means that music that directly incites hatred against a particular group, race or class of people would be banned. 

But Kanye West’s music will likely remain on the platform because despite his recent anti-Semitic comments on social media, his tracks do not promote such messages.

Adidas broke off their deal with Ye Tuesday after pressure from fans over the rapper and designer’s recent anti-Semitic comments. 

It ended the lucrative partnership, which included royalty payments and other fees. 

‘I can say anti-Semitic things and Adidas can’t drop me,’ Ye had previously stated. 

Since other similar remarks across social media, including a tweet declaring he would go ‘death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,’ Ye has lost a string of high profile partnerships. 

Footwear retailer Foot Locker said yesterday they would ‘not be supporting any future Yeezy product drops, and we have instructed our retail operators to pull any existing product from our shelves and digital sites.’

Even auction house Christie’s which was handling the private sale of a rare Nike Air Yeezy 1 prototype worn by West to the 2008 Grammy’s is no longer proceeding with the sale.

Balenciaga, Creative Artists Agency, TJ Maxx and Gap also dropped West. 

The termination of the Adidas deal has knocked Ye out of the billionaire ranks, according to wealth tracker Forbes.  

Ye is now worth a comparatively paltry sum of $400 million, which Forbes estimates comes from real estate, cash, his music catalog, and a 5 percent stake in ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s shapewear firm, Skims.

But as corporations around the world break off deals with Ye, music streaming service Spotify said it would not remove the rapper’s music unless his label requested it.

Recent anti-Semitic remarks made by the rapper are ‘just awful comments,’ and would have warranted removal from Spotify for violating its policies if they had been on a podcast or recording, Spotify chief Daniel Ek said.

However, music from the artist now known as Ye does not violate anti-hate policies, and any anti-Semitic comments he has made cannot be found on the music streaming platform.

‘It’s really just his music, and his music doesn’t violate our policy,’ said Ek, adding, ‘It’s up to his label, if they want to take action or not.’

Universal Music’s Def Jam label, which owns the copyright to West’s recordings from 2002 through 2016, and continued distributing his releases until last year, issued a statement condemning Ye’s remarks, saying: ‘There is no place for anti-Semitism in our society’. 

But the label has not asked for the removal of Ye’s recordings, many of which are critically acclaimed works.

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