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cnn
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Former Rep. George Santos is suing late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for “tricking” him into creating Cameo videos and then improperly airing them on his show, according to court documents.
“Defendants openly admitted to deceiving plaintiff under the guise of fandom, requesting custom videos only to then air them on national television and social media channels for commercial gain, actions that flagrantly violate the original agreement and constitute clear infringement.” of copyright,” 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 also named as defendants.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Kimmel, ABC and Disney for comment.
Days after the House voted to expel Santos last year, he joined the Cameo celebrity video messaging platformwhere you get paid to record personalized video greetings.
In December, Santos created fourteen Cameo videos after Kimmel requested them using false 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 outgoing personality,” the lawsuit says. “Kimmel not only bragged about having intentionally deceived the plaintiff, but played on the comic irony of possibly being sued by the plaintiff for fraud, claiming it would be a ‘dream come true.'”
The licensing agreement for the Cameo videos does not allow the videos to be broadcast on national television, according to the lawsuit. However, Kimmel’s team aired some of them on his show and then posted them on social media, according to the lawsuit.
Santos requests a jury trial. He is seeking at least $150,000 in statutory damages for each violation, plus other unspecified damages to be determined at trial. He also seeks injunctive relief to prevent the defendants from infringing his copyrights.