A design company accused Kim Kardashian of falsely claiming their products were featured in a video she shared online.
As reported by The New York Times on Wednesday, the 43-year-old entrepreneur showcased a Skkn by Kim office tour in 2022, stating that items she owned were created by the late American artist Donald Judd.
"These Donald Judd tables are really amazing and totally blend in with the seats," Kardashian said in the clip, which was removed Wednesday after a federal lawsuit filed by the Judd Foundation.
People obtained a copy of the lawsuit filed by the nonprofit foundation representing Judd's legacy Thursday.
The suit alleges that Clements Design fabricated the furniture featured in Kardashian's video tour.
"We deny that Ms. Kardashian has any liability in this matter, as we have previously explained to the Judd Foundation and its counsel," Michael Rhodes, counsel for Kardashian, told People.
"Contrary to what Kim Kardashian's attorney now says, neither he nor other counsel representing Ms. Kardashian explained their position on this matter," Megan Bennigan, an attorney for the Judd Foundation, told People.
"Multiple attempts were made by the Judd Foundation and its president, Rainer Judd [Donald's daughter], to address and resolve this matter amicably with Ms. Kardashian prior to litigation, which would have been avoidable had we heard back from either Ms. Kardashian or her counsel," Bennigan continued.
"Kardashian then promoted the furniture as being 'Donald Judd' to millions of her social media followers. Clements Design refused to take any steps to resolve this matter, which is why Judd Foundation reluctantly resorted to litigation in order to protect its intellectual property rights and the significance of Donald Judd's timeless designs," counsel for the Judd Foundation said in a statement obtained by People.
In the video, Kardashian claimed that the pieces were a La Mansana Table 22 and Chair 84, but the foundation has revealed that only three genuine copies of the table have been sold in the past 15 years, and each chair is stamped and numbered.
The lawsuit contends that Kardashian's claims are misleading.
"Consumers are likely to believe Judd Foundation and the Donald Judd brand are connected or affiliated with, or otherwise sponsored or endorsed Ms. Kardashian," court documents claimed.
The company further stated that original pieces would not have appeared in the video she shared online because the "Judd Foundation categorically prohibits customers from using purchased Donald Judd furniture for marketing and promotional purposes."
Following the Judd Foundation's objection to the post, a spokesperson for Kardashian's team offered to amend the video caption with a retraction, according to the lawsuit.
However, the foundation insisted the video be deleted, rejecting Kardashian's proposal to update the caption.
According to the lawsuit, the decision stemmed from concerns that allowing the caption to remain unchanged could perpetuate the circulation of counterfeit Donald Judd furniture.
Unable to reach a resolution, the disagreement led to the current lawsuit.
Meanwhile, Clements Design claimed they believed the matter was settled since they had not received communication from the Judd Foundation's legal counsel in over a year.
Clements' lawyer stated in a letter to the foundation that it was "simply not true that Clements Design commissioned imitation Donald Judd tables," the Times reported.
However, the Judd Foundation asserted in the lawsuit that design proposals from 2020 by Clements described furniture as "in the Style of Donald Judd."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.