As the Kardashian-Jenner family made their way to the Met Gala in New York, a jury Monday gave them a sweeping win in Blac Chyna’s lawsuit against them.
The Los Angeles jury found that none of the members of the famous family defamed Chyna, nor did any interfere with her contract by convincing the E! network to cancel her reality show “Rob & Chyna.” The jury deliberated for 10 hours before the judge handed down the decision.
The jurors found on the long jury form that the Kardashians often acted in bad faith on the issues brought up in the case, but that it had no substantial effect on Chyna’s contract or the fate of the show, and she was awarded no damages.
The four Kardashian defendants attended nearly the entire trial, but when the verdict was read all were at the Met Gala, where this year’s theme was “Gilded Glamour.” Chyna was in court for the verdict. She had no visible reaction.
Jurors were considering the defamation case against Kris Jenner, Khloé Kardashian and Kylie Jenner after a judge threw out the part of the lawsuit against Kim Kardashian in the middle of deliberations. Jurors were free to make it a split decision — finding against some of the Kardashians but not others. They gave the family a clean sweep instead and gave Chyna nothing.
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Kardashian attorney Michael G. Rhodes said the family was “exuberant” when he called them with the news.
“They’re very pleased,” Rhodes said. “I hope they enjoy their gala in New York.”
Chyna’s attorney Lynne Ciani said that based on her reading of the verdict, “the jury found that Chyna had not physically abused Rob Kardashian,” and “the jury found that all four defendants had intentionally interfered with her contract with the E! Network.”
“We will appeal on the remaining questions,” she added.
The jury was twice sent back to deliberate further when it was found that on some questions in the case against Kylie Jenner the vote had been 8-4 when at least 9-3 was required in the civil case, but they quickly returned with 9-3 votes and the result remained unchanged.
Chyna, a model and former reality star whose legal name is Angela White, sued Kris Jenner and her daughters Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian and Kylie Jenner for $100 million in lost earnings over the cancellation of her reality show “Rob & Chyna” with ex-fiancé Rob Kardashian in 2016.
“Kris Jenner set out to have ‘Rob & Chyna’ canceled,” Chyna’s lawyer Lynne Ciani told the jury during opening statements on April 18, as the accused family sat in the front row of the gallery. “And she brought in her three daughters to help accomplish that.”
However, Kardashian lawyer Michael G. Rhodes said the couple’s reality show was canceled by the E! Network not because of any machinations by the Kardashians but because they broke up.
“There is no ‘Rob & Chyna’ show if there is no Rob and Chyna,” Rhodes said.
Rob Kardashian and Chyna announced their engagement in April 2016 and later had their daughter Dream in November that year. The couple split a month later.
The trial, which lasted nine days, touched on allegations of abuse and jealousy. Both sides agreed that Rob Kardashian and Chyna got into a terrible argument in 2016 that permanently damaged their relationship.
Rob Kardashian was prone to bouts of jealousy, Chyna claimed during her testimony. His doubts about being the father of their newborn daughter, Dream, led to a paternity test that was filmed for the show.
She said that on the morning of Dec. 15, 2016, he grabbed her phone, shut himself in a closet and searched for signs of communication with other men.
Chyna said she couldn’t handle the accusations and unfair scrutiny anymore.
“In the past there had been a cycle of him taking my phone and posting things from it, and I was really getting sick of it,” she said.
She then smashed the gingerbread house and TV, but when pressed by the defense, she denied going beyond damaging property or resorting to hitting Rob.
Photos:“It” couple Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson turn heads at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
Contributing: Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY; Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press
