2020 was a wild ride for Kanye West who announced his partnership with GAP and his presidential candidacy one after the other. Of course, his presidential run was unsuccessful and reportedly played a role in his divorce from Kim Kardashian. However, his plans to open his own church are officially underway since the rapper has officially registered Sunday Service as a non-profit, tax-exempt church.
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‘Ye hired lawyer Karl F. Mill who focuses on non-profits to help obtain Sunday Service’s 501c3 tax-exempt status. The March 23rd filing lists ‘Ye’s $2.2M headquarters in Calabasas along with other details of the corporation.
The most interesting part of the filing is that it bars Sunday Service from trying to “participate in, or intervene in [including the publication or distribution of statements], any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.”
The lawsuit arrives after Sunday Service and Kanye were hit with multi-million dollar lawsuits pertaining to unpaid wages and mistreatment. Last year, Kanye was sued over the production of his opera Nebuchadnezzar. Hundreds of performers, the choice, and a large production team who, according to California labor laws, should’ve been classified as employees rather than independent contractors. Because of poor ticket sales, members of the crew were hired to sit in the audience, even with 5K tickets being released for free. Two lawsuits related to this issue could amount to $30M in payouts.
Another lawsuit filed against Kanye and Sunday Service last summer claimed that they stole technology used for the show. This lawsuit filed by MyChannel Inc. is suing Kanye for damages.
