‘It’s Expensive To Take Somebody Else’s Man’ — Woman Ordered To Pay $1.75 Million For ‘Seducing’ A Married Father
The messy situation kind of makes you wonder why the actual married father wasn't held liable too.
Bricolage | Shutterstock One TikToker made quite the mess when she got romantically involved with her married manager. Having an affair is chaotic enough on its own and leads to broken hearts and broken relationships. But that’s usually it. The ramifications are mostly emotional. For Brenay Kennard, having a relationship with her manager is going to cost her $1.75 million thanks to an interesting North Carolina law.
Everyone has their own drama they have to deal with, and the things that happen to influencers happen to average Joes, too. But watching it all play out in real time on your phone just adds an extra layer of insanity and, although it may sound wrong, entertainment. After all, as long as the drama’s not your own, it’s kind of fun to get caught up in it.
Kennard had an affair with Tim Montague, her manager. His ex-wife successfully sued her based on North Carolina’s alienation of affection law.
As one X user, known as Tea with Tia, said, “Chile, it’s expensive to take somebody else’s man.” Kennard, a popular TikToker with 2.9 million followers on the platform, is learning this lesson the hard way. According to NBC News, Tim Montague was Kennard’s manager and, oddly enough, she was married to his cousin. His ex-wife, Akira Montague, filed a lawsuit against Kennard because of her affair with her ex-husband.
WRAL reported that North Carolina is one of six states that has what is known as an alienation of affection law. The origins of the law lie in 16th-century England. An American precedent was established in the 1800s. NBC reporters Doha Madani and Christian Santana explained, “Alienation of affection laws allow a spouse to file a lawsuit against a third party if they believe that person caused the other spouse to end their marriage.”
Akira Montague accused Kennard of behaving in a way “designed to seduce” her ex-husband.
Akira Montague alleged that Kennard did things like wear short skirts and “verbally flirt” with her ex-husband while they were still married, with the intention of starting a relationship with him. Akira Montague also said that she believed she and Kennard were friends, so she shared private information with her about her husband’s past infidelity. She said Kennard “utilized the personal information gained from the friendship to seduce.”
As for Kennard, Tea with Tia said she defended herself in the trial. She also argued that Akira Montague was fine with the affair. “She said it was okay because she knew her marriage was over with, and it was done,” Kennard said.
Interestingly, in Kennard’s TikTok bio, she has her email listed for business inquiries. The name on the email is Brenay Montague.
It’s important to note that Tim Montague was not held liable in this lawsuit.
Kennard said that Akira Montague will probably never receive the $1.75 million, although with almost 3 million TikTok followers, you would expect her to be able to at least pay some of the money. It really makes you wonder if the relationship was worth it to Kennard to go through such a public trial that was surely humiliating, and to be ordered to pay almost $2 million.
KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA | Pexels
It’s also interesting that Kennard is the only one being held liable here. It seems like that’s the way the alienation of affection law works, but shouldn’t Tim Montague carry some of the blame for his own actions? Honestly, his girlfriend kind of got thrown under the bus. And are we supposed to just believe it’s a coincidence that it’s the woman who is being blamed?
This case will surely reignite a debate about the use of alienation of affection laws. It does seem like it would be fair to be able to sue someone when they ruin your marriage. You can file lawsuits for much smaller matters, after all. Why not hold someone accountable for destroying your marriage like this? Although, really, the spouse should bear some of the legal responsibility as well.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
