Key Takeaways
- TikToker Brenay Kennard has been ordered to pay $1.75 million to the ex-wife of her manager after being accused of having an affair with him.
- Kennard was found liable for alienation of affection and criminal conversation, with $1.5 million awarded for the former and $250,000 for the latter.
- Alienation of affection and criminal conversation are laws recognized only in a handful of states.
A North Carolina TikToker has been ordered to pay $1.75 million to the ex-wife of her manager for ruining her marriage.
The influencer, Brenay Kennard, was sued by Akira Montague, the former wife of her manager, who accused Kennard of having an affair with her husband, Tim Montague, which in turn ended their marriage.
Kennard, who has 2.9 million TikTok followers and 274,000 on Instagram, was accused of being in a sexual relationship with her manager, who left his then-wife and their children to move in with Kennard in Greenville, North Carolina.
According to WBTV, the ex-wife claimed in the lawsuit that Kennard "engaged in behavior designed to seduce" her former husband and "flaunted her affair and romantic relationship ... in public and private places."
The manager has appeared in TikToks with Kennard in the past, with one vlog showing them running errands together. The Montagues married in 2018.
Nearly two years after filing the the lawsuit and seeking $3.5 million in damages, a jury found Kennard liable on counts of alienation of affection and criminal conversation on Monday (November 10).
The influencer has been ordered to pay Akira $1.75 million in total, with $1.5 million being for the alienation of affection count, while $250,000 is for criminal conversation.
In North Carolina, the alienation of affection law can be utilized against a third party involved in a marriage-ending affair. Only six other states recognize the alienation of affection law, which allows a spouse to sue a third party for intentionally interfering with their marriage, leading to the loss of love, affection, and companionship. Only six states, including North Carolina, recognize criminal conversation law, which lets a person sue a third party for having a sexual relationship with their spouse.
According to WRAL News, Kennard argued that Akira gave her consent, while the ex-wife claimed that the infidelity impacted her mental and physical health and caused her children to no longer live in a two-parent household.
"She has received justice from losing her husband and the father of her children," said Robonetta Jones, Akira's attorney.
