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Kim Kardashian takes the stand in Blac Chyna trial
Kim Kardashian testified Tuesday that she does not remember writing most of the emails and text messages attributed to her in the wake of an alleged beating of her brother, Rob Kardashian, by his then-fiancee, Blac Chyna, in 2016, but she also did not deny authoring them and said they demonstrate that the Kardashian/Jenner clan lacked the power to cancel the second season of "Rob & Chyna."
LOS ANGELES - Kim Kardashian testified Tuesday that she does not remember writing most of the emails and text messages attributed to her in the wake of an alleged beating of her brother, Rob Kardashian, by his then-fiancee, Blac Chyna, in 2016, but she also did not deny authoring them and said they demonstrate that the Kardashian/Jenner clan lacked the power to cancel the second season of "Rob & Chyna."
"I don't remember a text message I sent earlier this morning," the 41-year-old socialite said, pausing to run to the restroom before taking the stand. She said many of her electronic messages are transcribed through voice dictation, which she explained accounts for some misspellings in the communications.
Kim Kardashian is a defendant along with her mother, Kris Jenner, and two of her siblings, Kylie Jenner and Khloe Kardashian, in the trial of the 33-year-old Chyna's Los Angeles Superior Court defamation lawsuit. The complaint alleges the quartet lied when telling E! network executives that Chyna assaulted Rob Kardashian, now 34, because they wanted the network to cancel a second season of "Rob & Chyna," which dealt with the ups and downs of the formerly engaged couple and had already begun filming before the plug was indeed pulled.
Chyna maintains the relationship ended in the summer of 2017, but the defendants say Chyna acknowledged in a written declaration that the two split in December 2016, meaning the second season could not have gone forward because of the breakup.
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Blac Chyna trial: Kim Kardashian testifies
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Kim Kardashian said she learned that in mid-December 2016, an argument occurred between her brother and Chyna at a home owned by her sister Kylie in Hidden Hills. The couple was staying there rent-free and earlier trial testimony showed Chyna allegedly held a gun to her fiance's head, hit him with a 6-foot pole and pulled a phone cord around his neck while he played video games. Chyna denies most of the allegations.
"I was obviously very upset that he was emotional and upset," Kim Kardashian said. She also said she recalls her brother looking "puffy and red."
She denied using any pressure to convince E! network officials to cancel the second season of "Rob & Chyna" and said some of the communications demonstrated her frustration with the executives.
"I think it was up in the air what was happening," she said. "I don't think any of us knew what was going on."
Khloe Kardashian preceded her older sister to the stand. Asked by Ciani if she thought her brother and Chyna had a "fake" relationship, Khloe Kardashian said, "I guess you can say that."
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Blac Chyna vs Kardashians: Defamation suit continues into second week
Khloe Kardashian further said that there was a lot of "toxicity" in the relationship as well as "volatile behavior." She said that when she talked to her brother after the incident via FaceTime, she saw "red indentations" on his neck.
"God forbid something happened, it would be terrible to live with that on our souls," she said.
Khloe Kardashian further said that many statements were made in the heat of the moment and that her family hoped her brother and Chyna would eventually have a healthy relationship and a show that would resemble "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica," which dealt with the lives of former couple Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson.
Lead defense attorney Michael Rhodes said he will do his questioning of Kylie Jenner and the two Kardashian sisters later in the trial.
Meanwhile, Judge Gregory Alarcon is scheduled to hear a defense motion for a directed verdict on Chyna's demand for damages sometime this week, which the Kardashian/Jenner attorneys state in their court papers collectively amount to well over $100 million.
"Despite refusing to state it on the stand herself, plaintiff claims to be seeking $109,635,021 in economic damages and $36,000,000 in general damages for emotional distress," the defense attorneys state in their court papers. "Before trial began, these claims were absurd because there was no documentary evidence, economic analysis or expert testimony that would support them."
Chyna conceded during her testimony that she's made millions of dollars each in the past few years from, at minimum, Fashion Nova, Kendra's Boutique and OnlyFans, the defense attorneys state in their court papers.
Therefore, Chyna's "unsupported and wildly speculative claims for damages must not be allowed to go to the jury," the Kardashian/Jenner lawyers argue in their court papers.
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In February 2020, Judge Randolph Hammock severed from the current suit Chyna's revenge porn claim against Rob Kardashian and directed that it be tried separately. The claim involves what Chyna's court papers call "humiliating and degrading" photos that Rob Kardashian allegedly posted of Chyna in July 2017. A separate jury will hear that case after the conclusion of the current proceedings.