Kardashians win in Blac Chyna defamation trial
No damages have been awarded to Blac Chyna in the bombshell defamation trial she brought against the Kardashian-Jenners.
No damages have been awarded to Blac Chyna in her defamation trial against the Kardashian-Jenners.
Chyna, 33, sued Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner for $US40 million ($A55 million) for loss of earnings and more than $US60 million ($A85 million) in future earnings, claiming the powerhouse family used their influence to tarnish her reputation and prevent financial opportunities after they allegedly “conspired” to cancel the second season of reality show Rob & Chyna – which they denied.
The jury decided no damages would be awarded as they didn’t find any of the Kardashians attempted to cancel the second season of Rob & Chyna with their influence. However, the jury found that Kris, Kim and Kylie acted to protect their own economic interest, the New York Post reports.
They also found Kris, Kim, Khloé and Kylie knew that Chyna had a contract with the E! network, but did not find that their conduct prevented Chyna from performing under that contract.
As the jurors were being asked about how they voted on each question on the special verdict form, an exasperated Chyna walked out of the courtroom, texting on her phone.
LA Sheriff deputies then ushered Chyna into another courtroom and told reporters she would not be answering any questions from the press.
While Judge Gregory W. Alarcon ruled late last week that Kim Kardashian should not be held liable in the defamation claim, the judge instructed jurors to consider various emails and text messages Khloé, Kylie and Kris sent to producers and network executives in 2016 and 2017 where they expressed their concerns about filming what became a volatile relationship between Rob Kardashian and Chyna.
Stories from bombshell court case
The bombshell defamation trial took place over the course of about two weeks and brought out a wide range of emotions from everyone who testified, including reclusive Rob, 35, who took the stand to address his allegations that Chyna was violent towards him.
“She landed several blows to my face, my back,” Rob claimed over an incident on December 14, 2016 where Chyna allegedly hit him with a metal pole.
“She ripped my shirt early in the evening and we were throwing money around in our Snapchat,” he said. “In the beginning I thought it was playful. I didn’t think it got serious until the second gun encounter … you don’t point a gun on your fiancé’s head, whether you think it’s loaded or not.”
He also claimed she attempted to strangle him with an iPhone cord while she was drunk and high on cocaine.
“She has a history of doing this. Just because I didn’t have marks doesn’t mean it’s not true. Stop putting that out there. It’s not fair.”
Both sides faced brutally pointed questions from lawyers Lynne Ciani and Michael Rhodes, who had Chyna talk about the revenge porn Rob posted years ago.
“My pictures were blasted to the entire world. Rob posted nudes of me on the internet. So I’m just supposed to allow Rob [to] post this on the internet … that’s OK, right?” a teary Chyna said when asked about her appearance on Good Morning America the day after she filed her restraining order against him in 2017.
Mr Rhodes continued to question Chyna on if she was seeking publicity when she held her July 2017 press conference with her former lawyer Lisa Bloom.
Chyna remained silent for at least five seconds before answering: “Yes, I wanted everyone to hear my side of the story, so yes I did.”
She then asked for a 10-minute break to compose herself.
Kris Jenner also took the stand and made a startling revelation when she claimed Chyna threatened to kill Kylie Jenner when she was dating her now-ex-boyfriend Tyga, 32.
“Of course it was alarming but we just kept it in the family,” Kris testified, telling the jury that they did not report the alleged incident to police. “They lived across the street and she [Chyna] had a young child.”
Chyna dated Tyga from 2011 to 2014. He then dated Kylie on and off from 2014 to 2017, while Chyna moved on with Rob in 2016.
The model shares nine-year-old son King with Tyga and five-year-old daughter Dream with Rob.
‘Wanted Chyna to be best version of herself’
With regards to Chyna’s allegations of a Kardashian conspiracy to cancel the second season of her TV show, her lawyer Lynne Ciani asked Kris whether she could recall having a conversation with a network executive about not being happy with Rob and Chyna’s relationship. Ms Ciani questioned Kris over messages she allegedly sent where she called Chyna “stupid,” “really ghetto,” and suggested the network should “ditch the b**ch”.
The momager admitted she might have “depending on the day,” noting that there “were a lot of ups and downs” in the relationship.
“But I really wanted Chyna to grow and be the best version of herself,” she told the court.
Nearly a week-and-half into the trial, the Kardashian-Jenners asked the judge to dismiss Chyna’s lawsuit because she allegedly offered “no additional testimony or evidence to offer on her damages”.
Network and production executives testified that Rob & Chyna was not officially “green lit” for a second season because the former couple’s relationship took a tumultuous turn and no longer fit the network’s vision, which tended to focus on more “aspirational” and “escapist” shows like KUWTK.
Ms Ciani argued the famous family’s influence over the network cost her client millions in future earnings for club appearances, social media posts and other TV appearances.
The judge also told jurors they could consider that Chyna might have deliberately hid her finances because she failed to provide any financial statements, tax returns and other documents pertaining to her income or expenses despite being given almost six years to file those documents.
Because this is a civil case, nine out of the 12 jurors had to agree that Chyna proved her two claims of defamation and interference of her contract.
This story was published by the New York Post and reproduced with permission
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