Kanye West Reportedly Hires Johnny Depp's Lawyer Amid Growing Controversies

By Ashley Turner

Kanye West has taken a cue from Johnny Depp's legal counsel. According to TMZ, he has hired Camille Vasquez, who represented Depp in his civil lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard. A jury found that Heard defamed her ex-husband and awarded Depp $10.4 million. Vasquez has been credited with helping the Pirates of the Caribbean star win in court. She will reportedly be part of a team of attorneys helping West manage his business affairs. The report comes amid the announcement that Balenciaga has severed ties with West after his recent controversial statements. A rep for the fashion house said, "Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist," with no further explanation.

The 10-year partnership West has with Adidas, which includes a multibillion-dollar deal, is currently "under review," the company announced earlier this month. "After repeated efforts to privately resolve the situation, we have taken the decision to place the partnership under review," Adidas announced in a statement, per CNBC. "We will continue to co-manage the current product during this period." A direct message from West to Complex magazine alleged that Adidas"picked colors and named them," "hired people that worked for [him]," "stole [his] colorways [and] styles," and hired a general manager without consulting him. 

According to the "Stronger" rapper, the corporation also delayed his Yeezy Gap partnership with Balenciaga. During the past few months, West has slammed the company online, posting pictures of board members and publicly criticizing CEO Kasper Rorsted on social media. He posted a doctored image of the New York Times front page falsely reporting Rorsted's death in early September. In advance of his Paris Fashion Week show, West had terminated his deal with Gap and publicly criticized Adidas. A Gap spokesperson confirmed that the company ended its relationship with West last month because their "vision" was "not aligned."

West has faced backlash after showing up at Paris Fashion Week wearing a "White Lives Matter" shirt and making anti-semitic remarks. Despite the backlash, West wrote on his Oct. 4 Instagram Stories, "EVERYONE KNOWS THAT BLACK LIVES MATTER WAS A SCAM NOW ITS OVER YOU'RE WELCOME." West was banned from Twitter after posting, "I'm a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I'm going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE. The funny thing is I actually can't be anti-Semitic because black people are actually Jews also. "You guys have toyed with me and tried to blackball anyone whoever opposes your agenda," he added. Additionally, Entertainment Tonight Canada reported that West had hired Melinda Gates' former divorce attorney Bob Cohen to represent him in his divorce case with Kim Kardashian. His new divorce lawyers finally turned over the rapper's finances, which is a key step toward finalizing the settlement.

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