NEED TO KNOW
- A North Carolina judge reportedly ordered the courtroom to be cleared of spectators during a hearing on Jan. 15 after an influencer was livestreaming the proceedings
- Brenay Kennard appeared in court on Thursday, Jan. 15 — two months after she was ordered to pay $1.75 million in damages over “alienation of affection” claims — for alleged violations of a court order that stipulates she should no longer post online about the case
- Last week’s hearing drew a group of influencer spectators, some of whom travelled from as far as California to report on the proceedings
A North Carolina judge reportedly ordered the courtroom be cleared of spectators after an influencer was livestreaming the proceedings.
On Thursday, Jan. 15, TikTok star Brenay Kennard — who made headlines in November when she was ordered to pay her husband’s ex-wife $1.75 million in damages over “alienation of affection” claims — appeared in court for a hearing about her alleged violations of a court order that stipulates she should no longer post online about the case, per local news outlet, The News & Observer.
In conjunction with the hearing, the outlet reported that several TikTok creators traveled in from as far as California to report on the proceedings, sharing detailed recaps of the day in court and defending Akira Montague, the woman who sued Kennard for her affair with her ex-husband, Timothy Montague.
But the influencer crowd was shut out of the courtroom when the judge warned that anyone who livestreamed the hearing would be found in contempt of court, The News & Observer reported.
“We got booted from the courtroom, y’all, and I wish I was exaggerating,” said one TikTok creator, who goes by the name “Feather Crown Press.”
The hearing has been continued until Feb. 10, PEOPLE confirms.
Montague and Kennard’s legal battle first garnered national attention in November, when Montague’s lawsuit against the TikTok creator for $3.5 million in punitive and compensatory damages went to trial. In the suit, Montague accused Kennard of making social media content with her then-husband and attempting to “justify” an alleged affair with him during a TikTok livestream.
A jury ultimately ruled in favor of Montague on Nov. 10, and a judge ordered Kennard to pay $1.5 million for “alienation of affection” and $250,000 for “criminal conversation, reported The News & Observer.
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In the months since the initial trial, Kennard has continued to share content online with Timothy, including a series of snaps of the pair celebrating the holidays. Kennard and Timothy also recorded a sit-down with TV personality Dr. Phil, sharing videos on her TikTok traveling to and getting ready for the televised appearance.
In a Jan. 8 press release, a rep for Montague claimed that Kennard was “leveraging” her social media platform and televised appearances “to attack Montague and her children while making wildly false claims about the nature and timeline of their affair.”
Kennard did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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