Kim Kardashian
American media personality and SKIMS co-founder who settled SEC charges over an undisclosed paid crypto promotion in 2022
- Entries
- 33
- On the record
- 24
- Stories
- 2
- Latest entry
- Aug 2026
The record
- $1.26Mpaid to settle the SEC's EthereumMax case: a $1 million penalty plus about $260,000 in disgorgement and interest
- $250,000the undisclosed payment the SEC found EthereumMax made, through an intermediary, for one Instagram post
- 4 statesinvestor classes certified in the EthereumMax suit in August 2025 (California, New York, Florida, New Jersey); a nationwide class was refused
- Mar. 6, 2028trial date set for the defamation suit Kardashian and Kris Jenner brought against Ray J
Kim Kardashian's largest regulatory penalty came from a single Instagram post. On October 3, 2022 the SEC announced that she would pay $1.26 million, a $1 million penalty plus about $260,000 in disgorgement and interest, after it found she had not disclosed that EthereumMax paid her $250,000 to promote its EMAX token in June 2021. She settled without admitting or denying the findings and agreed not to promote crypto asset securities for three years.
The investor class action over the same token has outlasted the SEC case. Judge Michael Fitzgerald in Los Angeles dismissed the first complaint in December 2022 but let the investors amend it. In June 2023 he let unfair competition claims against Kardashian, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Paul Pierce go forward, and in August 2025 he certified investor classes in California, New York, Florida and New Jersey while refusing a nationwide class.
Her other court record: a Los Angeles jury ruled for her family on Blac Chyna's claims in May 2022, after the judge had already dismissed the defamation claim against Kim herself. A defamation suit she and Kris Jenner filed against Ray J in October 2025 is set for trial in March 2028. The Judd Foundation's furniture suit settled in 2025, and a Paris court convicted eight people in May 2025 over the 2016 robbery in which she was the victim.
Questions people ask
Why did the SEC fine Kim Kardashian?
The SEC found that EthereumMax paid her $250,000 to post about its EMAX token on Instagram in June 2021 and that the post did not disclose the payment. It treated EMAX as a crypto asset security, so the law required her to disclose the amount and source of the payment. She settled on October 3, 2022. source
How much did Kim Kardashian pay the SEC, and did she admit wrongdoing?
She agreed to pay $1.26 million: a $1 million penalty and about $260,000 in disgorgement, the payment she received plus interest. She settled without admitting or denying the SEC's findings and agreed not to promote any crypto asset securities for three years. source
What happened to the EthereumMax lawsuit against Kim Kardashian?
The investor suit is still in court. It was dismissed in December 2022 with permission to amend, partly revived in June 2023, and narrowed again in October 2023. On August 7, 2025 the court certified investor classes in four states against the promoters, including Kardashian, but refused a nationwide class. source
Did Kim Kardashian win the Blac Chyna lawsuit?
Yes. On April 29, 2022 the judge dismissed the defamation claim against Kim, finding no defamatory statement by her had been shown at trial. On May 2, 2022 the jury ruled for her, Kris Jenner, Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner on the remaining claims and awarded Chyna no damages. source
What is the Kim Kardashian lawsuit against Ray J about?
Kardashian and Kris Jenner sued him for defamation and false light over remarks in a May television appearance and a September livestream that they say falsely suggested they were involved in racketeering and faced a federal criminal investigation. In August 2026 the judge refused to strike the suit; Ray J's lawyer said he would appeal. source
Who was convicted over the Kim Kardashian Paris robbery?
On May 23, 2025 a Paris court of three judges and six jurors convicted eight of the ten defendants and acquitted two. The ringleader, Aomar Aït Khedache, got eight years with five suspended. Because of time already served, none of them went back to prison. source
What was the Donald Judd furniture lawsuit against Kim Kardashian?
The Judd Foundation sued her and Clements Design in 2024 over tables and chairs she had shown on video as Donald Judd pieces. In March 2025 a federal judge refused to dismiss the false endorsement claim against her. The case settled in 2025; terms were not disclosed. source
Roles and honours on the record
- 2017-2022 Defendant in Blac Chyna's defamation and contract suit, Los Angeles Superior Court source
- 2018 Advocate for the release of Alice Marie Johnson, visiting the White House in May 2018 source
- 2019 Speaker, White House event on second chance hiring source
- 2022- Defendant, In re EthereumMax Investor Litigation, No. 2:22-cv-00163, U.S. District Court, Central District of California source
- 2024-2025 Defendant, Judd Foundation false endorsement claim, U.S. District Court, Central District of California source
- 2025- Plaintiff with Kris Jenner, defamation suit against William Ray Norwood Jr. (Ray J), Los Angeles Superior Court source
Every entry, newest first
- Ruled
2022-12 [adjudicated] Judge Michael Fitzgerald dismisses the EthereumMax class action for insufficient fraud pleading, with leave to refile. Kim Kardashian paid $1.26M to settle the SEC's EthereumMax case
- Ruled
2022-10 [adjudicated] SEC order: agreed to pay $1.26 million (penalty, disgorgement and interest) over an undisclosed $250,000 EthereumMax promotion payment, wi Kim Kardashian paid $1.26M to settle the SEC's EthereumMax case
- Filed
2022-01 [filed] Named as a defendant in the EthereumMax class action for promoting the token, per court filing. Kim Kardashian paid $1.26M to settle the SEC's EthereumMax case
- Admitted
Kardashian said on Keeping Up with the Kardashians the Kimono name was a mistake, per Page Six. Kardashian's Skims offers refunds on $148 advent calendar
Stories in this file
Reality TV · 💸 Kardashian's Skims offers refunds on $148 advent calendar
Skims says the calendar “didn’t meet expectations” and offers a full refund or credit. No refund deadline or buyer count is reported. 🗣️
SETTLEDPhoto: Aedrian Salazar · Pexels License🪙 Kim Kardashian paid $1.26M to settle the SEC's EthereumMax case
The 2022 order required no admission or denial. That December, a judge dismissed the fraud claims in a separate class action over the token. 📌
The record, entry by entry
SEC fine and the EthereumMax lawsuit
- 2021-06-13 Official Kardashian posted about EMAX tokens on Instagram with a link to the EthereumMax website and an #AD tag. The SEC later found that EthereumMax had paid her $250,000 through an intermediary and that the post did not disclose the payment. SEC order, In the Matter of Kimberly Kardashian
- 2022-01 Filed EMAX buyers sued the token's co-founders, its developer and the promoters Kardashian, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Paul Pierce in federal court in Los Angeles, alleging a scheme to inflate the token's price. By then the token had lost 97 percent of its value, CNBC reported. CNBC report
- 2022-10-03 Official The SEC announced that Kardashian agreed, without admitting or denying its findings, to pay $1.26 million, including a $1 million penalty and about $260,000 in disgorgement and interest, and not to promote crypto asset securities for three years. SEC press release 2022-183
- 2022-12-07 Ruled Judge Michael Fitzgerald of the Central District of California dismissed the investor suit as insufficiently supported under the heightened pleading standard for fraud, allowing the plaintiffs to amend some claims. Kardashian's lawyer welcomed the ruling. CNBC report
- 2023-06 Ruled After the investors filed a longer amended complaint, Judge Fitzgerald refused to throw out their unfair competition claims against Kardashian, Mayweather and Pierce, reviving part of the suit against the promoters. Cointelegraph report
- 2023-10-03 Ruled Ruling on the next complaint, the judge denied Mayweather's and Pierce's motions to dismiss state consumer law claims, dismissed securities claims against co-founder Giovanni Perone, and gave the investors a third and final chance to amend. Cointelegraph report
- 2025-08 Ruled Judge Fitzgerald certified state-level investor classes in California, New York, Florida and New Jersey against EMAX promoters including Kardashian, Mayweather and Pierce, but refused a nationwide class over the risk of applying California and Florida law outside those states. Cryptonews report
Blac Chyna defamation trial
- 2017 Filed Blac Chyna sued Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking $100 million and alleging that they defamed her and interfered with her contract with E! after the Rob & Chyna spinoff was dropped. NBC News report
- 2022-04-29 Ruled During jury deliberations, Judge Gregory Alarcon dismissed Chyna's defamation claim against Kim Kardashian, finding that no defamatory statement by her had been shown at trial. The contract interference claim against her went to the jury. Court TV (AP) report
- 2022-05-02 Ruled The Los Angeles Superior Court jury ruled for all four women on the remaining claims, finding insufficient evidence of defamation or of interference with Chyna's E! contract, and awarded her no damages. Her lawyer called the verdict form confusing. NBC News report
Ray J defamation suit and other civil cases
- 2025-02 Filed Ivan Cantu, a man whose photo Kardashian had posted by mistake while urging support for a Texas death row inmate of the same name, sued her in Los Angeles Superior Court for emotional distress and damage to his reputation. PetaPixel report
- 2025-10-01 Filed Kardashian and Kris Jenner sued William Ray Norwood Jr., known as Ray J, for defamation and false light over public statements about them. He filed a cross-complaint claiming Kardashian breached their 2023 settlement agreement. Fox News report
- 2026-03-30 Ruled Judge Steven A. Ellis denied Kardashian and Jenner's request to keep their 2023 settlement with Ray J under seal, allowing only bank account details to be redacted. Fox News reported the settlement as $6 million. Fox News report
- 2026-04 Ruled Judge Ellis sent Ray J's cross-complaint, which claims breach of the April 2023 settlement and its non-disparagement clause, to arbitration, and kept the defamation claims in court with trial set for March 6, 2028. Law Commentary report
- 2026-05 Ruled After the court granted Kardashian's anti-SLAPP motion and dismissed Cantu's suit, Judge Michael C. Small ordered him to pay more than $167,000 in her legal fees, less than the $186,320 she had requested. PetaPixel report
- 2026-08 Ruled Judge Ellis denied Ray J's anti-SLAPP motion, finding Kardashian and Jenner had shown enough evidence for their defamation and false light claims to proceed. The ruling does not decide whether he defamed them; his lawyer said he plans to appeal. Law Commentary report
Brand, trademark and advertising cases
- 2015-08-07 Official The FDA sent drugmaker Duchesnay a warning letter over Kardashian's social media post endorsing its morning-sickness drug Diclegis, saying the post presented efficacy claims but no risk information, and asked for the promotion to be taken down. BioPharma Dive report on the FDA warning letter
- 2019-07 Ruled A federal court in California entered a $2.7 million default judgment for Kardashian and her company Kimsaprincess against Missguided USA, which she had sued for using her name and likeness to sell clothing, including by tagging her on Instagram. Davis+Gilbert legal alert
- 2019-07-01 Reported After criticism of her trademark applications for a shapewear line called Kimono, including a petition with more than 120,000 signatures, Kardashian said she would rename the brand. It launched as SKIMS. NBC News report
- 2024 Filed The Judd Foundation sued Kardashian and the design firm Clements Design, citing a 2022 video in which she showed off what she called Donald Judd tables; Clements was accused of copying Judd designs for furniture in her skincare company's office. Marfa Public Radio report
- 2025-03-27 Ruled Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong denied the motions to dismiss, finding the Judd Foundation had adequately pleaded trademark and copyright claims against Clements Design and a false endorsement claim against Kardashian. Bloomberg Law report
- 2025-05 Official Court records show the Judd Foundation and Clements Design reached a settlement. Terms were not disclosed; Clements agreed to acknowledge the rights in Judd's furniture and art, and Kardashian's side is to have authentic Judd tables and chairs. Marfa Public Radio report
Paris robbery trial
- 2016-10-02 Reported Kardashian was robbed at the Hôtel de Pourtalès in Paris on the night of October 2, 2016, during Paris Fashion Week, ABC7 later reported. ABC7 News report
- 2025-05-13 Reported Kardashian testified at the Paris trial of the ten defendants accused over the 2016 robbery, telling the court she feared for her life during the attack. Al Jazeera report
- 2025-05-23 Ruled A Paris court of three judges and six jurors convicted eight of the ten defendants and acquitted two. Ringleader Aomar Aït Khedache got eight years, five suspended; three others got seven years, five suspended. With time served, none was sent back to prison. Kardashian thanked the French authorities. ABC7 News report
Divorce from Ye
- 2021-02 Filed Kardashian filed for divorce from the rapper Ye, the case that ended in a settlement filed in Los Angeles Superior Court the following year. Court TV report
- 2022-11-29 Filed A divorce settlement filed in Los Angeles Superior Court gave the couple joint custody of their four children, set child support from Ye at $200,000 a month and provided no spousal support either way. Court TV report
Clemency advocacy
- 2018-06-06 Official President Trump commuted the life sentence of Alice Marie Johnson, convicted in 1996 on eight counts tied to a Memphis cocaine operation, after Kardashian visited the White House in May to argue for her release. PBS NewsHour report
- 2019-06-13 Official Kardashian spoke in the East Room at a White House event on second chance hiring, describing a rideshare programme for formerly incarcerated people and thanking the President for backing the issue. White House, remarks transcript
Documents
- SEC press release 2022-183, SEC charges Kim Kardashian for unlawfully touting crypto security (Oct. 3, 2022)
- SEC cease-and-desist order, In the Matter of Kimberly Kardashian, Release No. 33-11116 (Oct. 3, 2022)
- In re EthereumMax Investor Litigation, No. 2:22-cv-00163 (C.D. Cal.), case page and coverage timeline
- CNBC report on the December 2022 dismissal of the EthereumMax investor suit
- Court TV (AP) report on the dismissal of the defamation claim against Kim Kardashian (Apr. 29, 2022)
- NBC News report on the Blac Chyna verdict (May 2, 2022)
- Fox News report on the Ray J suit and the sealing ruling (Apr. 10, 2026)
- Law Commentary report on the denial of Ray J's anti-SLAPP motion (Aug. 14, 2026)
- Bloomberg Law report on the Judd Foundation ruling (Mar. 27, 2025)
- Davis+Gilbert alert on the Missguided default judgment (Aug. 1, 2019)
- U.S. Department of Justice, commutations granted by President Trump 2017-2021 (Alice Marie Johnson, June 6, 2018)
- White House remarks on second chance hiring (June 13, 2019)
- Court TV report on the divorce settlement filing (Nov. 29, 2022)
- ABC7 report on the Paris robbery verdict (May 2025)
- Al Jazeera report on Kardashian's testimony in Paris (May 13, 2025)
Sources behind this file
- Page Six report
- KVAL report
- CBS News report
- Tyla report
- Daily Mail report
- Yahoo (Entertainment Weekly) report
- CNBC report on the dismissal of the EthereumMax class action
- SEC press release charging Kim Kardashian over EthereumMax promotion
- The Wall Street Journal report on the EthereumMax class-action complaint