The Donald Judd Foundation Sues Kim Kardashian for Her ‘Knockoff’ Furniture

Kim Kardashian is under scrutiny for another venture. The Donald Judd Foundation has slapped the beauty mogul and entrepreneur with charges of copying the Knockoff furniture and promoting fake products. The copyright infringement action comes after the non-profit organization came across a YouTube video featuring fake versions.

The organization sued Kardashian in California court for unlawfully claiming the Los Angeles-based Clements Design's "knockoff" Judd tables were genuine Judd furniture. However, the representatives of Kardashian have refused to acknowledge the lawsuit. The foundation ensures the faithful reproduction of his furniture designs, adhering meticulously to Judd's precise specifications, even after his passing in 1994.

As per the complaint, SKKN by, Kardashian's skincare company, reportedly engaged Clements Design to produce tables and chairs resembling Judd's style for its offices. Allegedly, Kardashian showcased the purported counterfeit furniture in a YouTube video tour of the offices in 2022. "If you guys are furniture people — because I've really gotten into furniture lately — these Donald Judd tables are really amazing and totally blend in with the seats," the reality can be heard saying in the video. 

According to the lawsuit, numerous media outlets incorrectly identified the furniture showcased in the video as Judd's work, creating the false impression that Kardashian's company was affiliated with or endorsed by Judd and the Donald Judd brand. Despite the foundation's requests, both Clements Design and Kardashian declined to recycle the furniture, remove the video, or issue corrective advertising which led the company to eventually take some action in its defense. 

As reported by The New York Times, the genuine pieces by the artist are priced at $90,000 and $9,000, respectively. The article highlights the expectation among both Kardashian fans and art enthusiasts that she would possess and exhibit authentic, rather than counterfeit, Donald Judd furniture. Moreover, they anticipate genuine endorsements from celebrities, designers, or artists mentioned or discussed by the SKIMS founder. 

"This issue was brought to our attention over a year ago. We communicated with the Judd Foundation’s counsel and explained to them in no uncertain terms that there were obvious key differences between the tables and chairs in Kim’s office and the Judd Foundation’s tables and chairs," the firm says. It further added, "The Judd Foundation’s prior counsel acknowledged these differences and since then, we have not heard from them in over a year, and are now being blindsided with a lawsuit. Efforts were made to resolve this issue amicably at the time and the Judd Foundation was unwilling to settle on reasonable terms. Judd Foundation repeatedly attempted to gain clarity from Clements Design and Kim Kardashian about how and why they copied and promoted fake furniture as being authentically Donald Judd’s," the foundation told Page Six.