Aug
George Santos’ Lawsuit Against Jimmy Kimmel Dismissed by Judge
George Santos’ Lawsuit Against Jimmy Kimmel Dismissed by Judge
The disgraced former New York congressman challenged the “Will Santos Say It?” segment on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
George Santos, the former Republican congressman from New York who has been embroiled in scandal, has lost his lawsuit against late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. Santos had claimed that Kimmel infringed on his copyright by airing Cameo videos featuring Santos on Jimmy Kimmel Live without obtaining his permission.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Denise Cote dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that “the videos were used for political commentary and criticism,” which is protected under fair use.
Kimmel acquired the videos by creating fake profiles on Cameo, a platform where people can pay for personalized videos from celebrities. This occurred after Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives due to multiple scandals. Kimmel then aired the videos in a segment titled “Will Santos Say It?” During the segment, Kimmel’s team had Santos say things like congratulating someone for cloning their schnauzer named Adolf or for winning a beef-eating contest.
In her ruling, Judge Cote stated that “a reasonable observer would understand that Jimmy Kimmel Live showed the videos to comment on the willingness of Santos — a public figure recently expelled from Congress for allegedly fraudulent activity, including enriching himself through a fraudulent contribution scheme — to say absurd things for money.”
Santos’ attorney told Entertainment Weekly on Tuesday, “We’ve already filed our notice of appeal.”
The dismissal of the lawsuit wasn’t Santos’ only legal setback on Monday. He also pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft, charges that led to his expulsion from the House in December.
According to a statement from the Department of Justice, Santos admitted to “filing fraudulent FEC reports, embezzling funds from campaign donors, charging credit cards without authorization, stealing identities, obtaining unemployment benefits through fraud, and lying in reports to the House of Representatives.”
Santos is scheduled to be sentenced in the criminal case on Feb. 7. He faces a mandatory minimum of two years in prison, with a maximum sentence of 22 years, and $373,749.97 in restitution to his victims.
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