NEW DELHI: Former US Representative
George Santos
filed a
lawsuit
against
late-night host
Jimmy Kimmel, accusing him of deceiving Santos into creating videos on the Cameo app that were used to mock him on Kimmel's show. The lawsuit, filed in the US district court for the southern district of New York, names Kimmel, ABC, and Walt Disney Co. as defendants, reported AP.
Santos, who was expelled from the House of Representatives last year due to charges of fraud and stealing from donors, is suing for copyright infringement, fraudulent inducement, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment.
The lawsuit alleges that Kimmel misrepresented himself to Santos, taking advantage of his outgoing personality to create personalized videos that capitalized on and ridiculed him.
Using the Cameo app, Santos received requests for personalized video messages from individuals and businesses. However, Kimmel submitted at least 14 requests using fake names and stories. These videos were then played on Kimmel's show in a segment called "Will Santos Say It?".
Santos's lawyer, Robert Fantone said, ""Frankly, Kimmel's fake requests were funny, but what he did was clear violation of copyright law." Santos is seeking $750,000 in statutory damages for the five videos that were played on the show and various social media platforms. Additionally, he is requesting further damages to be determined in court.
Santos is currently facing multiple criminal charges, including defrauding campaign donors, lying to Congress about his wealth, receiving unemployment benefits while employed, and using campaign contributions for personal expenses. He is also accused of making unauthorized charges on credit cards belonging to some of his donors. Santos pleaded not guilty to a revised indictment in October.
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