Blac Chyna won't back down, intends to fight verdict after losing defamation case
Blac Chyna's lawyer says her client hopes to fight her case against the Kardashian-Jenners after suffering a major legal setback on Monday, May 2. Despite the fact that she lost her defamation and contract interference allegations against Kim and Khloé Kardashian, as well as Kris and Kylie Jenner, the jury determined that Chyna did not cause injury to Rob Kardashian.
Soon after the verdict was announced, attorney Lynne Ciani told the media outside the courthouse, "Two things. Number one, the jury found that Chyna had not physically abused Rob Kardashian. Number two, the jury found that all four defendants intentionally interfered with [Chyna's] contracts with the E! Network. We will appeal the remainder of the verdict."
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Chyna sued Kim, Khloé, Kris, and Kylie for more than $100 million in lost earnings, potential profits, and emotional damages for allegedly plotting to have the second season of "Rob & Chyna" cancelled from the E! network shortly after the former pair had a significant dispute in December 2016. While the jury concluded the famous family's conduct were not justifiable in regards to Chyna's "contractual relationship" with the E! Network, they did not find the family's behavior were reasonable in regards to Chyna's defamation claims.
However, after nearly 10 hours of deliberation, the 12-member jury determined that the Kardashian-Jenners were not obligated to compensate Chyna for her lost as well as potential earnings. The decision was a big victory for the family, who rejected charges that they pushed network executives and producers to cancel "Rob and Chyna".
One of the Kardashian-Jenners' attorneys, Michael Rhodes, claimed he spoke with the family shortly after the verdict was announced on Monday. "I think the case was very clear cut. The jury got it. I appreciate their service," Rhodes told reporters outside the courthouse. "I think the judge did a wonderful job of making sure it was a fair trial. They [the Kardashian-Jenners] were very pleased, very grateful. They were emphatic in their explicit expression of pleasure. I got to know them quite well over the last few years, and as you know, they're exuberant."
"Mr. [Rob] Kardashian is very grateful to the jury service and happy to have this matter behind him. And he looks forward to moving on to a new chapter and raising his beautiful daughter," said the other defence counsel Michelle Carrie Doolin.
Rob, who has a 5-year-old daughter with Chyna, gave an emotive testimony about a confrontation in December 2016 in which he said his ex-fiancée held a gun to his head twice, beat him with a metal pole, and choked him with an iPhone cable. Chyna contradicted the charges in her testimony, claiming that she and Rob were merely fooling around. She claimed they were "celebrating" the news that their show had been renewed for a second season by the network.
However, network and production personnel stated that the details were not finished, and that the network paid Chyna a $100,000 "kill fee" after the show was cancelled. While an appeal is possible, another aspect of the case, Chyna's revenge porn allegation against Rob, which she filed in 2017 has yet to be resolved. The court concluded that the defamation suit should be dealt with first, hence no date has been set for the revenge porn case.
Jurors walked out of the courthouse fatigued and elated after two weeks in court. They remained tight-lipped about the case and how they deliberated. As the verdict was announced on Monday, the Kardashian-Jenners were in New York City for the 2022 Met Gala.