A jury in the Superior Court of Durham County, North Carolina, has mandated that social media influencer Brenay Kennard pay $1.75 million in damages to Akira Montague.
Montague is the former spouse of Kennard’s then-manager and alleged partner, Tim Montague.
Kennard, who boasts over 3 million followers on TikTok, is required to pay $1.5 million for alienation of affection and $250,000 for criminal conversation.
Kennard is accused of having engaged in a sexual relationship with Tim Montague.
Akira Montague’s lawsuit claimed that Kennard had an affair with her husband during their marriage, thus depriving her of “the affection, society and consortium” of a spouse. North Carolina is among the few states that still recognize the torts of alienation of affection and criminal conversation. This law permits a spouse to sue a third party for knowingly interfering in a marital relationship.
Akira Montague contended that Kennard started producing social media content with Tim Montague while he was still married. She alleged that Kennard shared images of the children without her consent and publicly showcased their relationship, as reported by PEOPLE.
As per the New York Post, Kennard, who represented herself in court, argued that the marriage had already deteriorated and that she should not be held accountable for its collapse.
Nevertheless, the jury ruled in favor of the plaintiff after deliberating for less than two hours, according to PEOPLE.
Kennard described the verdict as “outrageous.”
Kennard characterized the verdict as “outrageous” and “all about money,” asserting that Akira was aware the marriage was essentially over.
Robonetta Jones, Akira’s attorney, stated, “The evidence presented in this case overwhelmingly supported my client’s position that Brenay Kennard not only alienated the affections of Akira’s husband but also caused emotional harm to his children as well.”
