Kardashians win defamation lawsuit against Blac Chyna
THE Kardashians have won their defamation lawsuit against Blac Chyna.
The 33-year-old model had accused the reality TV dynasty of defamation, which she alleged resulted in the cancellation of E! series Rob & Chyna in 2016, and was seeking $108 million in damages from the billion-dollar family.
But a judge ruled on Monday no monetary damages should be awarded, thereby ending the trial after five years, according to reports by Deadline.
In response to the verdict, the Kardashian-Jenner family’s attorney Michael G. Rhodes told PEOPLE: “They’re happy to have this behind them. I think the case was very clear.
“The jury did a great job, they got it. The family was very pleased and grateful, they were exuberant.”
Jurors are said to have deliberated for a full day last Friday and throughout Monday morning and are said to have reached a verdict on Monday afternoon at the Los Angeles court.
Chyna, who has five-year-old daughter Dream with Rob Kardashian, 35, had been seeking millions in damages from sisters Kim Kardashian, 41, Khloe, 37, their half-sister Kylie Jenner, 24, and their mother Kris Jenner, 66 and several accusations had been made throughout the trial that claimed that Chyna had exhibited “threatening” behaviour towards her ex and his family over the years.
The verdict comes just days after a judge ruled on Friday that Rob’s sister Kim would no longer be part of the trial because Chyna – real name Angela White – had “not identified” any specific defamatory statement made towards her by Kim.
The request stated: “Because (Blac Chyna) has neither identified an allegedly defamatory statement by Kim Kardashian, nor specified an instance where she ratified an allegedly defamatory statement by another party, the claim against her must be dismissed.
“(Blac Chyna’s) vague assertion on the record during (her) argument that Kim Kardashian ‘ratified those statements and encouraged her sisters to make them’ – without specifying how Kim Kardashian ratified them and to whom – is woefully insufficient to maintain a claim.”
However, Chyna’s legal team counterargued she “has the right to a jury trial against Defendant Kim Kardashian for defamation” and that it would be “completely contrary to law” to remove Kim from the case, but a judge still ruled in favour of The Kardashians star.
The ruling stated: “There is no evidence that defendant Kim Kardashian took a ‘responsible part; in the publication of the alleged statement by the other defendants.”