Blac Chyna Lawsuit: Verdict, Damages, and Appeal

Blac Chyna’s lawsuit against the Kardashians ended on May 2, 2022, when a Los Angeles jury awarded her nothing. Chyna, whose legal name is Angela White, had sued Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, and Kylie Jenner for $100 million, claiming they defamed her and killed her E! reality series Rob & Chyna. Jurors found the family “often acted in bad faith” but concluded their conduct had no substantial effect on the show’s fate.¹

What Chyna Sued Over

Chyna filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court in the fall of 2017, naming Kris Jenner and three of her daughters as defendants. The complaint alleged defamation and intentional interference with contract, claiming the family pressured E! to cancel Rob & Chyna by falsely telling network executives that Chyna had violently attacked Rob Kardashian. She sought $100 million.¹ Kourtney Kardashian and Kendall Jenner were dismissed from the case before trial.²

E! had renewed the show for an eight-episode second season on December 14, 2016.³ It never aired. An amended contract signed in February 2017 gave E! until August 2017 to formally pick up the season, with a $100,000 payment to Chyna if the network declined. No production notice ever arrived, and Chyna’s team invoiced for the $100,000 in July 2017.⁴

The December 2016 Incident

The night the show was renewed, an altercation took place at Kylie Jenner’s Hidden Hills home. Rob Kardashian testified that Chyna pointed a gun at his head, wrapped a phone-charging cord around his neck, and struck him with a metal rod. Chyna told a different story: she said the cord incident was “playful,” that she picked up an unloaded gun from a nightstand, and that the couple had been celebrating the renewal.⁵

Corey Gamble, Kris Jenner’s partner, testified he went to the house that night, saw Chyna hit Rob, and heard her threaten to kill him.⁵ Kris Jenner told the jury the family chose not to call police, preferring to keep things “internal,” and said on the stand that she believed Chyna “tried to murder” her son.⁶ Chyna’s attorney Lynne Ciani pressed on the absence of visible injuries, any police report, or a hospital visit.⁷

What the family said about that night to E! executives became the core of the case. Khloé Kardashian wrote in one message that the family was “even considering not moving forward with our show if theirs continues, that’s how strongly we feel this is damaging to our family.”⁸ Kylie Jenner emailed an executive calling Chyna a “toxic woman” who was “using and physically abusing” Rob.⁹ Kim Kardashian testified she could not remember writing most of the emails attributed to her but did not deny authoring them, noting she often uses voice dictation.¹⁰

What the Jury Decided

The trial ran roughly 10 days before Judge Gregory W. Alarcon in April 2022. During deliberations, on April 29, the judge dismissed the defamation claim against Kim Kardashian, ruling Chyna had not identified a specific defamatory statement by her. The contract-interference claim against Kim went to the jury with the rest.¹¹

After nearly two days of deliberation, the jury returned a 13-page special verdict answering 70 questions.¹² The answers were mixed on the facts and lopsided on the money:

None of the remaining defendants defamed Chyna.¹³
The family “often acted in bad faith” in what they told E! about the abuse claims, and those statements were not “substantially true,” though the defendants had “reasonable grounds” to believe them.¹
Kylie Jenner and Khloé Kardashian’s communications to studio executives were not “justified” as to Chyna’s contract, but had “no substantial effect” on the contract or the cancellation.¹²
Eleven of twelve jurors set damages at $0.¹²

Why Chyna Got Nothing Despite the Bad-Faith Finding

The bad-faith finding sounds like a win, but under the causation piece of the verdict it wasn’t. The jury concluded the family’s conduct did not actually cause the show to end. That gap between wrongdoing and effect closed off any damages.

Testimony from E! itself pushed the jury toward that conclusion. Former E! executive vice president Jeff Olde told the jury the network did not take direction from the Kardashians on programming and that the show ended because the couple broke up; had they reconciled, he said he would have been open to a second season.⁹ Former E! president Adam Stotsky testified that production on a second season never began and that the family had no authority to force the network to drop the show.¹⁴

The defense also leaned on the $100,000 contract payment. Attorney Michael Rhodes argued Chyna “willingly accepted $100,000 to allow the second season to be terminated.”¹⁴ Chyna acknowledged her signature but disputed what the money was for, testifying, “I thought the money was for filming, not because Rob & Chyna was canceled.”¹⁵

Rhodes said after the verdict, “The jury did a great job, they got it. The family was very pleased and grateful.”¹⁶ Ciani called the verdict form “confusing and unduly prejudicial.”¹⁷

Costs Petition and Appeal

In June 2022, the Kardashian-Jenner defendants filed a petition seeking $391,094.76 from Chyna for litigation costs, not counting attorney fees. The breakdown included about $184,000 for exhibits and photocopies, $96,000 in miscellaneous charges, $63,000 in deposition costs, and nearly $20,000 in court reporter fees.¹⁸ Ciani opposed the petition, arguing the family could not be “prevailing parties” under California law because the jury found they had not acted in good faith.¹⁹ The available reporting does not indicate how the court ruled.

Ciani also announced Chyna would appeal, citing “remaining questions.” The record here does not detail an appellate ruling or a final resolution.¹⁷

The Separate Case Against Rob Kardashian

Chyna’s suit originally included claims against Rob Kardashian personally over his July 2017 posting of sexually explicit photos of her on Instagram and Twitter. A judge severed those revenge-porn claims in February 2020 to be tried separately.¹⁴ Rob Kardashian admitted to posting the images.²⁰

That case was set for its own jury trial in June 2022. On June 20, the day jury selection was to begin at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, the two sides settled. The terms were not made public. Rhodes confirmed the resolution but declined to share details.²¹

1
NBC News. Blac Chyna Awarded No Damages in Defamation Case Against Kardashians
2
KTLA. Kris Jenner Testifies in Blac Chyna’s $100 Million Lawsuit
3
The Hollywood Reporter. E! Renews Rob and Chyna for Season 2
4
Business Insider. Blac Chyna’s Ex-Attorney Says No Production Notice for Season 2 of Rob and Chyna Was Ever Received
5
E! Online. All the Bombshells From the Kardashians’ Court Trial With Blac Chyna
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ABC7. Kris Jenner Alleges Blac Chyna Attempted Murder
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KATV. Verdict Revealed: Kardashians Win Defamation Lawsuit Over Blac Chyna
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Variety. Blac Chyna-Kardashians Jury Verdict
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BuzzFeed News. Kylie Jenner and Khloé Kardashian Rob and Chyna Emails
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Spectrum News. Jurors in Kardashians-Chyna Defamation Case
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Los Angeles Times. Jury Begins Deliberating in Blac Chyna vs. Kardashians Trial
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Business Insider. Jury Rules in Favor of Kardashian-Jenner in Blac Chyna Defamation Suit
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CBS News. Kardashian Family Wins Verdict in Blac Chyna Lawsuit
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Deadline. Kardashian-Chyna Trial Lawsuit
15
People. Blac Chyna Denies She Willingly Accepted Kill Fee After Rob and Chyna Was Canceled
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People. Kardashian-Jenner Attorney Speaks Out After Family Wins Trial Against Blac Chyna
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People. Blac Chyna Lawyer Says She Will Appeal Kardashian-Jenner Lawsuit Verdict
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Rolling Stone. Kardashians Request Blac Chyna Cover Defamation Trial Legal Fees
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People. Kardashian-Jenner Family Petitions for Blac Chyna to Pay $390K to Cover Legal Fees
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People. Kardashian-Jenner Family Wins Trial Against Blac Chyna
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Los Angeles Times. Rob Kardashian, Blac Chyna Settlement Agreement in Revenge Porn Trial