Former Representative George Santos is suing late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for “deceiving” him into creating Cameo videos and then improperly broadcasting them on his show.
“Defendants openly admitted to deceiving the Plaintiff under the guise of fandom, soliciting personalised videos only to then broadcast these on national television and across social media channels for commercial gain—actions that starkly violate the original agreement and constitute clear copyright infringement,” the civil lawsuit said.
The lawsuit, filed Saturday in the Southern District of New York, alleges copyright infringement, fraudulent inducement, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment. ABC, which produces Kimmel’s show, and its parent company, Disney, are defendants.
Days after the House voted to expel Santos last year, he joined the celebrity video message platform Cameo, where he’s paid to record personalized video greetings.
In December, Santos created fourteen Cameo videos after Kimmel requested them using fake names and profiles, according to the lawsuit.
“Defendant Kimmel misrepresented himself and his motives to induce Plaintiff to create personalized videos for the sole purpose of capitalizing on and ridiculing Plaintiff’s gregarious personality,” the lawsuit said. “Kimmel not only boasted about intentionally deceiving Plaintiff, but played on the comedic irony of possibly getting sued by Plaintiff for fraud, claiming that it would be a ‘dream come true.’
The lawsuit said the licensing agreement for the Cameo videos does not permit broadcasting the videos on national television. However, according to the lawsuit, Kimmel’s team aired some of them on his show and later published them on social media.
Santos is requesting a jury trial. He’s seeking at least $150,000 in statutory damages for each infringement and other unspecified damages to be determined at trial. He’s also requesting injunctions to stop the defendants from infringing on his copyrights.
