An arts organization partly based in Marfa is suing Kim Kardashian for allegedly falsely claiming that wooden tables at the reality TV star鈥檚 skincare company office were authentic Donald Judd-designed furniture pieces.
The trademark infringement lawsuit filed in federal court Wednesday stems from an August 2022 YouTube video in which Kardashian showed off the of her SKKN BY KIM company.
At one point in the video, which TMZ Kardashian walks over to what she calls 鈥淒onald Judd tables,鈥� pointing out a pair of long, wooden tables that echo the of the late minimalist artist.
In a statement, the Judd Foundation said Wednesday it had brought the lawsuit in part because the video remained active on YouTube and had racked up more than 3.7 million views. The video was no longer viewable on YouTube as of Thursday morning.
The lawsuit also accuses the Los Angeles-based firm Clements Design of purposefully designing, building and promoting fake, plywood versions of Judd tables.
鈥淛udd Foundation's attempt to resolve this matter without litigation was met with delays and excuses from Ms. Kardashian and Clements Design,鈥� the arts organization said in a statement, adding that Kardashian and the company鈥檚 actions undermine 鈥淛udd's legacy and impairs the Foundation's ability to control the quality and goodwill of his iconic designs.鈥�
For comparison: Kim Kardashian's "Judd" table and the Judd "Judd" table
— Zachary Small (@ZacharyHSmall)
鈥淲e deny that Ms. Kardashian has any liability in this matter, as we have previously explained to the Judd Foundation and its counsel,鈥� Michael Rhodes, an attorney representing the celebrity, said in a statement.
The design firm disputed the lawsuit鈥檚 claims in a arguing there were 鈥渙bvious key differences鈥� in the furniture designs and that the Judd Foundation 鈥渨as unwilling to settle on reasonable terms.鈥�
Rainer Judd, the foundation鈥檚 president and the late artist鈥檚 daughter, said in a statement that the tables at the center of the case are 鈥渋rrefutably fake.鈥�
鈥淭he existence of inauthentic furniture undermines the integrity of his original work which includes specifications of design, craftsmanship, and materials,鈥� she said.
In the lawsuit, the arts foundation claims that Clements Design 鈥渕anufactured and sold knockoff versions鈥� of two specific Judd designs to Kardashian: his 鈥淟a Mansana Table 22鈥� and 鈥淐hair 84鈥� - iterations of which are located in one of the artist鈥檚 installation spaces in Marfa known as The filing claims that the company used the foundation鈥檚 copyrighted photos of the actual furniture as part of its design proposal for the deal, 鈥渄eceptively advertising that the works that would be provided to Ms. Kardashian were authorized.鈥�
Unlike some of Judd鈥檚 other artwork - notably, his located in Marfa - furniture built according to his designs is readily available for sale. The Judd Foundation wrote in its lawsuit that the real La Mansana table retails for a baseline of $90,000, while the Chair 84 starts at $9,000.
The Judd Foundation is asking a judge to bar Kardashian from using Donald Judd鈥檚 name and trademark for any commercial purposes, to 鈥渃orrect her false statement鈥� and even to 鈥渞ecycle the infringing Kardashian Tables and Chairs.鈥�