A TikTok influencer, Brenay Kennard, boasting 3 million followers, has been ordered to pay $1.75 million in damages after being found liable for “criminal conversation and alienation of affection” in North Carolina. The lawsuit, brought by Akira Montague, alleged that Kennard’s affair with Montague’s husband, Tim, led to the dissolution of their marriage, causing significant emotional distress, health problems, and impacting their children’s upbringing. Robonetta Jones, Akira Montague’s attorney, stated that her client had “received justice” for the loss of her husband and the father of her children.
North Carolina remains one of a dwindling number of states where “alienation of affection” lawsuits are permissible, allowing a spouse to sue a third party they blame for causing the end of their marriage through an affair. While such laws were once widespread across the United States, most states have since repealed them. The persistence of this law in North Carolina underscores the legal system’s recognition of the emotional and familial damage that can result from marital infidelity, even holding third parties accountable.