Kanye West’s former Donda Academy staffer is asking a judge to stop the musician from arguing that he was of “unsound mind” when the alleged discrimination at the school occurred.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Benjamin Provo, who worked at Donda Academy in 2021, is seeking to block Kanye from using the mental-state argument as a defense in their upcoming legal battle.
Provo claims Kanye is raising the issue just before the case heads to trial and says the musician had not previously produced documents or testimony supporting the defense.
Specifically, Provo says Kanye has not turned over medical records or identified an expert who would testify about how any mental health issues affected the claims in the case.
The former staffer is also pointing to Kanye’s own deposition testimony. According to the court documents, Provo says Kanye repeatedly indicated that he had been of sound mind during the events at the center of the lawsuit.
During the deposition, Kanye was asked whether he felt he “was not yourself” around the time he was operating the Donda school.
According to the filing, Kanye responded, “No. I think that was close to me being myself, but people change, though, too,” before adding, “sometimes I intend to do good and still end up in deposition.”
Provo says Kanye also acknowledged liking employees to have a uniform appearance but denied firing him because of his dreadlocks.
Provo’s lawsuit alleges that he was fired because of his hairstyle and claims Kanye treated Black employees more harshly while being more lenient toward White employees. Kanye has denied the allegations.
The latest filing comes as both sides prepare for a trial currently scheduled for October.
Kanye is also making his own effort to shape what jurors will hear. As previously reported, he has asked the court to exclude evidence involving past social media posts in which he praised Nazi ideology and Adolf Hitler.
The dispute over the proposed “unsound mind” defense adds another legal battle to an already contentious case. Provo is now asking the judge to decide whether Kanye can rely on that argument before the trial begins.
