Federal Judge Denies Adidas’ Bid to Recover $75 Million Paid To Ye

The ongoing legal battle between Adidas and Ye has taken another turn.

A federal judge denied a request from the athletic apparel company to refreeze $75 million worth of funds it paid to Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. A months-long freeze on the money was lifted last week.

Adidas claimed the $75 million is at risk of never being recovered, citing reports that Ye may be headed for insolvency and therefore unable to pay the money back. 

While the ruling is a short-term loss for Adidas, the brand may still prevail. The judge said that it seemed likely Adidas would eventually win back the $75 million in arbitration.

The saga has been making constant headlines since Adidas dropped Ye after he made antisemitic comments in October. In early May, Adidas finally decided to move forward with selling the remainder of its Yeezy product line — worth about $1.3 billion — and donate the proceeds to charity. 

Adidas was able to beat quarterly revenue projections in May, however — the 1% dip it reported was something of a relief after analysts predicted a 4% downturn.

More court developments could come later this week as lawyers for the company and controversial rapper/entrepreneur continue to search for a compromise.