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

nme.com:

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.