A North Carolina jury has ordered popular TikTok creator Brenay Kennard to pay $1.75 million in damages to her manager’s ex-wife, after being found liable for alienation of affection and criminal conversation — claims tied to an alleged affair that ended a marriage.
The lawsuit was filed by Akira Montague, who accused Kennard of pursuing her husband, Tim Montague, while pretending to be her friend. The case was heard in Durham County Superior Court, where jurors ruled in Akira’s favor earlier this week.
According to court documents, Akira claimed her marriage “was one in which genuine love and affection existed” before Kennard’s interference. The influencer, who boasts nearly 3 million TikTok followers, allegedly used personal information gained from their friendship to “seduce” Tim.
The lawsuit described Kennard’s actions as “flirtatious and intentional,” including bending over in short skirts, flicking her tongue to show her tongue rings, and verbally flirting with Tim. Akira also accused the influencer of sharing explicit videos and messages with her husband, and even meeting him in their marital home.
The suit alleged that Kennard took trips with Tim, made videos declaring her love, and expressed a desire to “marry him and have four to five kids.”
As a result, Akira said her husband became emotionally distant, began hiding finances, and ultimately moved in with Kennard in Greenville, North Carolina.
Jurors awarded $250,000 for the criminal conversation claim and $1.5 million for alienation of affection — a legal concept that still exists in only six U.S. states, including North Carolina, Mississippi, New Mexico, Hawaii, Utah, and South Dakota.
Following the verdict, Kennard criticized the decision, claiming that Akira had given her permission to pursue the relationship. “She said it was okay because she knew her marriage was over,” Kennard said in an interview with WRAL.
Akira’s attorney, Robonetta Jones, said the verdict brought her client “justice from losing her husband and the father of her children,” adding that the emotional toll had left Akira seeking therapy for “humiliation, mental, and emotional anguish.”
Despite the ruling, Kennard stood by her relationship with Tim and told People magazine that the verdict was “outrageous.” “The truth will always be the truth,” she said. “(Akira) may have won the battle, but not the war. God will have the final say.”
