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Jury rules in favor of Kardashian-Jenners after Blac Chyna brought a defamation lawsuit against the family

May 3, 2022, 16:44 IST
Insider
Courtroom artist sketch shows, from left, Khloe Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Kris Jenner sit in court in Los Angeles on April 19, 2022.The Associated Press
  • A jury on Monday rejected Blac Chyna's defamation claims against the Kardashian-Jenner family.
  • The Los Angeles jury sided with Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, and Kylie Jenner.
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A Los Angeles jury on Monday rejected defamation and contract-interference-damage claims against members of the Kardashian-Jenner family after nearly two days of deliberation.

The decision brought the 11-day trial to a close following testimony from several members of the famous family and scores of sensational courtroom moments.

Chyna, whose legal name is Angela White, was seeking $100 million in damages from Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, and Kylie Jenner, alleging that they unfairly trash-talked her to E! executives five years ago following her split with Rob Kardashian and that it led to the cancellation of their "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" spin-off series, "Rob & Chyna."

While the jury found that none of the Kardashian-Jenners were liable for any damages, jurors also conceded that some of the family members did interfere with Chyna's economic opportunities.

The Kardashian-Jenners denied Chyna's allegations, and each woman took the stand along with Rob Kardashian, forming a united front. The reality-TV stars sat in the front row of the courtroom each day dressed in designer suits with a security detail in tow.

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Blac Chyna was present in the courtroom when the verdict was read. The Kardashian-Jenner family was not present — their attorney Michael G. Rhodes said his clients "were all in New York at some gala."

The jury was asked 70 detailed questions on a 13-page special verdict form viewed by Insider, and it delivered its verdict at about 3:30 p.m. PT after nearly two full days of deliberations.

Mixed feelings, but clarity on damages

Jurors answered a complex set of questions as part of the verdict. Among their decisions was that Kris Jenner, Kylie Jenner, and Kim Kardashian did not "act reasonably and in good faith" to protect their economic interests in their dealings with Chyna on their TV shows and, in the case of Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner, as executive producers on "Rob & Chyna."

When asked whether Kylie Jenner or Khloé Kardashian was "justified with respect to Angela White's contractual relationship with the E! network," jurors agreed that the sisters' actions — which included texting and emailing studio executives about their disapproval of "Rob & Chyna" — weren't justified.

Chyna's attorney Lynne Ciani described the no-damages verdict Monday as a "victory" on two fronts, saying the jury had "found that Chyna had not physically abused Rob Kardashian" and that the jury had found the defendants had "intentionally interfered with her contract with the E! network."

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But ultimately, jurors agreed that the Kardashian-Jenner women had grounds to believe that Chyna physically abused Rob Kardashian, and 11 out of 12 jurors answered that Chyna was not entitled to any damages for her claims in the suit.

Chyna didn't answer questions as she left the courtroom.

A 'clear cut' case

Outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Rhodes said his team believed the case was "very clear cut," adding that "the jury got it and the judge did a wonderful job making sure it was a fair trial."

Rhodes said the Kardashian defendants, who were attending the Met Gala in New York, were "emphatic in their expression of pleasure. I hope that they're enjoying the gala."

Monday afternoon's decision came after a full day of deliberations on Friday, which began with a tense exchange between Ciani and the presiding judge, Gregory W. Alarcon, over instructions read to the jury on Thursday. Ciani said she wasn't given the opportunity to argue the jury instructions before their presentation while Alarcon fervently rejected her claims.

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Cianni told reporters that Chyna's team would appeal the decision.

The jury instructions included several text messages and emails from the defendants that Chyna's team spent the trial arguing were defamatory. The final instructions, however, didn't include text messages from Kim Kardashian, leading Rhodes to request on Thursday that the judge drop the defamation claim against her.

Alarcon ultimately issued a direct verdict on the matter Friday morning, arguing in a decision obtained by Insider that Chyna's team failed to establish a defamatory statement made by Kim Kardashian and provided "no basis" to demonstrate that she played a "responsible part" in the publication of any defamatory statement.

The jury was still tasked with determining whether the other three women made defamatory comments about Chyna to E! Network executives as well as whether Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, and Kylie Jenner interfered with a second season of "Rob & Chyna," which never materialized.

Throughout the trial, several network executives testified that there could be no season two of the reality series because the real-life couple had split so acrimoniously that they could barely stand to be in the same room. In a particularly damning piece of testimony last week, Walter Mosley, Chyna's former attorney who was called as a witness on her behalf, also testified that the network had never officially picked up the show's second season.

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A separate case involving nude photos Rob Kardashian posted of Chyna following their breakup in early 2017 is still being litigated.

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