Kanye West sued for $400k by rare fashion rental service, reports say

David Casavant Archive alleges the rapper stopped paying rental fees for 13 ‘rare’ garments

Kanye West has reportedly been sued by a high-end fashion rental service over the rapper’s alleged failure to settle outstanding fees owed to the company.

On Thursday (7 July), it was reported that the David Casavant Archive was taking legal action against West, 45, over non-payment of rental fees for 13 “rare, esteemed pieces” since October 2020.

The court documents, seen by Billboard, were filed by the rental company at a Los Angeles court on Tuesday (5 July).

According to the filing, West owes the David Casavant Archive $221,810 (£185,887) in unpaid fees. The rental company owned by David Casavant, 31, is also seeking an additional $195,100 (£163,503) from the “Stronger” singer to replace the items if they are lost entirely.

In the court documents, lawyers for Casavant argued that the replacement fees were necessary to cover the “loss of future rentals, loan opportunities, publicity and the lost value to the Archive as a whole” since the missing pieces are part of larger collections that derive value from their “completeness”.

The Independent has reached out to West’s representatives for comment.

In the filing, Casavant – whose clients have included Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, and Tom Brady – wrote that he has worked with the rapper and his Yeezy Apparel LLC since 2014.

If West lost any of the items, Casavant’s lawyers wrote, he was billed a replacement fee. If he wanted to keep any of the items for longer, he would continue to pay the rental fees without any problems.

The same terms, which were “expressed orally and in writing and reflected in many years of prior dealings”, applied to the 13 items West rented in February 2020. However, the payments for them stopped entirely in October, David Casavant Archive alleges in the filing.

“Defendants have not responded meaningfully to plaintiff’s numerous inquiries about defendants’ unpaid balance and the missing items, referring plaintiff to individuals without knowledge or authority to resolve the dispute, or advising plaintiff to send inquiries to inactive email accounts,” the court documents read, as reported by Billboard.

West at the Kenzo Fall/Winter 2022/2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 23, 2022 in Paris, France (Getty Images)

News of Casavant’s lawsuit against West comes a week after he was sued for copyright infringement on his latest album Donda 2.

According to a complaint filed in the US District Court in New York, West sampled Morgan Jefferson’s 1986 hit “Move Your Body” on his song “Flowers” without consent or compensation.

The claim, filed by Jefferson’s publisher Ultra International Music Publishing, states that the unlawful use of the track “is willful and deliberate”.

West’s representatives did not respond to The Independent’s request for comment, at the time of writing.

West is also currently embroiled in a divorce process with Kim Kardashian, who is dating former Saturday Night Live! star Pete Davidson.