Kanye West To Receive Legal Counsel From Lawyer Behind Johnny Depp Defamation Trial

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, will now be receiving legal counsel on a "variety of business matters" from a team of lawyers including Camille Vasquez, one of the attorneys who represented Johnny Depp in his defamation trial, a spokesperson for the law firm Brown Rudnick told CBS News. No other details were provided.

On Friday, Women's Wear Daily reported that luxury fashion brand Balenciaga severed ties with the rapper.

"Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist," the outlet reported, citing a statement from Balenciaga's parent company Kering.

West had walked in the luxury brand's show during Paris Fashion Week earlier this month.

The decision comes as West faces backlash for wearing a shirt with a "White Lives Matter" slogan, making several antisemitic comments, and sharing offensive statements on Twitter and Instagram. The social media platforms subsequently restricted the rapper's access to his accounts.

West then announced that he would be entering into an agreement to buy the right-leaning social network Parler.

Other companies that have worked with West in the past have also cut ties with him. According to a person familiar with the matter, JPMorgan Chase sent a letter to West on Sept. 20 to essentially dissolve their banking relationship. The bank gave the rapper 60 days from the date of the letter to find a new banking relationship.

First published on October 21, 2022 / 8:41 PM

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