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Disgraced congressman George Santos suffered another legal blow after a federal judge threw out his lawsuit against late-night show host Jimmy Kimmel on Monday.
Santos, 36, sued Kimmel, 56, after he requested Cameo videos from Santos, following his exit as a federal lawmaker. Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives in December 2023 following allegations he engaged in criminal conduct.
To make money, Santos joined the Cameo platform, which allows people to purchase video messages from high-profile figures for a fee.
In a February lawsuit, Santos alleged Kimmel requested videos from him under a false name, engaging in “deliberate deception and wrongful appropriation” and then broadcasted them on his ABC show.
The lawsuit claims Kimmel committed copyright infringement, fraudulent inducement, breach of contract and unjust enrichment.
During his show, Kimmel called the lawsuit “preposterous”.
“We did a nice thing, because we supported him by ordering his cameo videos,” Kimmel added.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! aired the videos as part of a segment called “Will Santos Say It?” One of Kimmel’s requests included asking Santos to congratulate a friend who had won a beef-eating contest in Clearwater, Florida.
The former congressman requested $750,000 plus damages. Kimmel requested to have the suit thrown out in a motion filed in June.
District Judge Denise Cote dismissed the suit in a 27-page decision on Monday, stating that Kimmel’s use of the content was protected under the “fair use” clause to copyright protections.
“A reasonable observer would understand that JKL showed the videos to comment on the willingness of Santos — a public figure who had recently been expelled from Congress for allegedly fraudulent activity including enriching himself through a fraudulent contribution scheme — to say absurd things for money,” the judge wrote.
“Thus, the videos were used for political commentary and criticism, purposes that do not supersede the objects’ of the original videos.”
Santos will appeal the ruling, his attorney Andrew Mancilla said in an email to The Independent.
Santos also pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in a federal fraud case on Monday in New York.
“I betrayed the trust of my constituents and supporters. I deeply regret my conduct,” Santos said as he entered his plea in a Long Island courtroom.
Santos’s sentencing is scheduled for February 7. He faces over six years in prison under sentencing guidelines and owes at least $370,000 in restitution.
