Disgraced former New York actor George Santos Sue Jimmy Kimmelalleging that the late-night host had violated the law by creating fake requests on the celebrity video app Cameo.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in New York on Saturday names host company ABC and The Walt Disney Company as defendants. It claims copyright infringement, fraudulent inducement, breach of contract and unjust enrichment.
“If you don't stand up for yourself, you will always lose! And that's what I'm doing with this lawsuit. I'm standing my ground and fighting to preserve my legal rights.” to publish On X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday night. “Jimmy Boy thought he could use fraudulent means to infringe my copyright, and now he will face the consequences. It's really that simple. My legal case is untouchable, and there is no doubt that I am right.
The lawsuit stems from a new line of work Santos stumbled into after Congress fired him in early December, the result of a damning ethics investigation that uncovered widespread misuse of campaign funds, including trips to casinos, OnlyFans subscriptions, luxury goods, and Botox.
Shortly after his firing, Santos created an account on Cameo, which allows users to pay celebrities for short, personalized videos. Just two days later, he claimed to have made enough videos to exceed his annual congressional salary of $174,000. Founder and CEO of the platform, Stephen Galanis, Tell Semaphore said that Santos would be “an absolute whale”, and that his debut was “raising numbers” to rival those of Sarah Jessica Parker and Bon Jovi.
The lawsuit alleges that at least fourteen requests received by Santos in early December came from fake accounts using “false names and narratives” belonging to Kimmel. These requests included texts for Santos to send congratulatory messages to one user for cloning a schnauzer named Adolf and another for eating “six pounds of ground beef in less than 30 minutes.” The comedian played five videos of the legendary writer in a show segment titled “Would Santos Say That?”
Santos' attorney previously sent Kimmel a cease and desist letter on December 12, Connection The host is a “sneaky little crook.”
In the lawsuit, Santos accuses Kimmel of violating the app's terms of service and Santos' copyright. The suit adds that Kimmel paid for the videos “for the sole purpose of profit and ridicule.” [Santos’] A social personality.” The former congressman is seeking $750,000 in compensation.
“Frankly, Kimmel's fake requests were laughable, but what he did was a clear violation of copyright law,” one of Santos' attorneys said. Robert Fantonhe said in an email to the media.
According to the lawsuit, Kimmel joked about the possibility of facing legal action over one of the clips.
“Can you imagine if George Santos sued me for fraud,” Kimmel said in early December. “I mean, how good could it be? It would be like a dream come true. So since I started buying his videos, his prices have gone up to $500 apiece. He should thank me for buying these videos.”
“Jimmy, I'm sorry that my Christmas gift to you came late, but here to make my wishes come true,” Santos said. new york post, any mentioned News of the lawsuit on Saturday. “I hope you enjoy reading about the fraud lawsuit you have been looking forward to.”
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