Kim Kardashian Is Being Sued By the Judd Foundation. Here’s Why.
Kim Kardashian has been accused of passing off a counterfeit item as the real thing—and we’re not talking about clothes or handbags.
The reality-TV star and businesswoman is being sued by the Judd Foundation for claiming that furniture in her skin-care office was designed by Donald Judd, The Washington Post reported on Thursday. The issue stems from an August 2022 video in which Kardashian gives a tour of the Skkn by Kim office. “These Donald Judd tables are really amazing and totally blend in with the seats,” she says. “They’re so easy.” (The video has since been made private.)
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However, the Judd Foundation, a non-profit aiming to preserve the late artist’s legacy, filed a lawsuit suing Kardashian and furniture company Clements Design on Wednesday, in which the organization alleges that Clements Design sold the reality star “knockoff versions” of Judd’s La Mansana Table and Chair 84.
“The tables and chairs shown in the Kardashian Video are not authentic DONALD JUDD pieces,” the lawsuit says, according to the Post.
Prior to filing the lawsuit, the Judd Foundation says it tried to work with Kardashian and Clement Designs to resolve the issue. When it first learned about the video, the organization reached out to Kardashian’s publicist, who apparently apologized and offered to update the video with a retraction in the caption. The Judd Foundation wanted the video edited, though, along with a statement from Kardashian saying that the pieces were not real Judd furniture. The lawsuit says the foundation last spoke with Kardashian’s team in August 2023.
For its part, Clement Designs said the Judd Foundation’s claims have “absolutely no merit” in a statement to The Washington Post.
“This issue was brought to our attention over a year ago,” the company said. “We communicated with the Judd Foundation’s counsel and explained to them in no uncertain terms that there were obvious key differences between the tables and chairs in Kim’s office and the Judd Foundation’s tables and chairs.” (A representative for Kardashian referred the Post to that same statement when asked for comment.)
According to the lawsuit, when the Judd Foundation was speaking with Kardashian’s team a year ago, it offered to replace the table and chairs with actual Judd pieces at a discount. Now, though, with the matter escalating to the courts, it’s not quite clear whether that olive branch is still an option.
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