Ye needs new legal representation in an ongoing legal battle over his song “Flowers.”
According to court documents obtained by AllHipHop, Kanye West’s lawyers were granted their motion to withdraw from his case. A judge determined the attorneys had “satisfactory reason for withdrawal” on Wednesday (November 30).
Earlier this year, Ultra International Music Publishing sued Ye for copyright infringement. The company accused him of sampling Marshall Jefferson’s song “Move Your Body” without permission on the Donda 2 album.
Kanye West will have a few weeks to find another lawyer to handle his case. But it’s possible he will represent himself.
“Ye may wish to hire a new attorney, or proceed pro se—that is, on his own behalf,” Judge Analisa Torres wrote. “By January 4, 2023, Ye shall inform the Court whether he has retained new counsel or will proceed pro se. If Ye chooses to proceed pro se, by January 4, 2023, he shall provide the Pro Se Office for the Southern District of New York with the address and telephone number at which he can be reached by the Court.”
Kanye West’s Donda 2 was released exclusively on the Stem Player in February. Kano Computing Limited, the company behind Stem Player, and its co-founder Alex Klein were also named in the lawsuit. Kano’s lawyer asked the judge for an extension to respond to the complaint after Ye lost representation.
“Given Ye’s central role in the alleged infringing activity, it would be both logical and efficient to maintain the same response deadlines for all three defendants, rather than requiring Kano and Mr. Klein to respond to the Complaint earlier (perhaps several months earlier) than Ye,” attorney Todd Larson wrote. “Further, Ye’s current lack of counsel has made it impossible for Kano or Mr. Klein to communicate or coordinate with Ye in defending against the allegations in the Complaint—a situation that may be rectified by allowing Kano and Mr. Klein to respond after Ye secures counsel.”
Kano recently cut ties with Ye due to the controversial rapper’s antisemitism. Kanye West continued to make antisemitic remarks in an interview with Alex Jones on Thursday (December 1).