Kardashian Sues over Sex Tape

Stylist and socialite files lawsuit to block DVD release of Kim Kardashian Superstar, homemade sex tape featuring her and former boyfriend Ray J that has been acquired by Vivid Entertainment

By Natalie Finn Feb 23, 2007 12:51 AMTags

Kim Kardashian may count Paris Hilton as one of her closest friends, but that doesn't mean she wants to follow in the heiress' exact footsteps. 

The socialite and daughter of late O.J. Simpson defense attorney Robert Kardashian filed a right-to-privacy lawsuit against Vivid Entertainment Wednesday to try to stop the DVD release of a three-year-old sex tape featuring her and actor-rapper Ray J, whom she was dating at the time the video was made, according to court documents obtained by E! News.

In the complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Kardashian accuses Vivid of "egregious commercial exploitation and violation of Plaintiff's most personal and intimate sexual relations with her former boyfriend of three years," adding that she never dreamed that the tape of said acts would ever go public.

According to court documents, Vivid shelled out $1 million to an undisclosed third party for the tape and was planning to add Kim Kardashian Superstar to the homemade adult entertainment canon on Feb. 28, despite objections over the deal's legality.  

"We are comfortable that we have the legal right to distribute this video, despite what others may say," Vivid cochairman Steven Hirsch said a couple of weeks ago when announcing the company's latest acquisition. 

Those "others" are saying nay. 

Per her petition, Kardashian is asking for unspecified damages and attorneys fees, as well as a permanent injunction against Vivid that would prohibit it from "disclosing or using [her] name and likeness in any manner for any purpose."

"Everyone is pretty disappointed and very confused as to what's going on and who's behind this," Kardashian, who says that she and Ray J have remained friends, told E! News earlier this month when she announced that she would be going forward with litigation. "We're just going to get to the bottom of this and do whatever we have to do to stop it."  

She also said she's doesn't suspect her ex-boyfriend of turning the tape over to the porn peddlers.  

"I've always said I don't think this would be something that he would do for some reason to spite me," Kardashian said. 

The 26-year-old Ray J, born William Ray Norwood Jr., is the brother of singer-actor Brandy and costarred on her UPN sitcom Moesha

Kardashian, a stylist and fashion designer whose fame is also due in part to the high-profile crowd she hangs out with, is the stepdaughter of Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner and stepsister of The Hills' Brody Jenner. She was married briefly to music producer Damon Thomas and his since been linked to Nick Lachey, rapper the Game and, most recently, hip-hop artist Nick Cannon. 

But although the pretty brunette appears more than happy to pose for the paparazzi while spending a night out on the town with Hilton 'n' pals, she insists she's not interested in giving the public a more explicit picture of her. 

"Have there been tapes? Maybe, yes," she told E!'s Daily Ten. "But are they for sale? No. Not for sale. That's our business." 

"I don't feel like I really did anything wrong," Kardashian continued. "I was in a relationship, very much in love...It's humiliating; it's embarrassing. It's something I feel very betrayed by, but I'm not pointing any fingers." 

Pointedly denying rumors that she was actively involved in trying to sell one of her racy home movies, Kardashian, who co-owns the Calabasas, California, boutique Dash with her sisters Kourtney and Khloe, said in a written statement to the New York Daily News: "I'm not poor; I'm not desperate. I would never attempt to sell a tape. It would humiliate me and ruin my family. I have two successful businesses, and I don't need the money."   

Kardashian will be showing off her body this year, but only in hip-hop producer Christopher Stokes' multimillion-dollar ad campaign for his new street-wear line, Christopher Brian Apparel, which will feature Kardashian, also a designer for Stokes, in topless-yet-tasteful (i.e. no bare breasts) situations.