Will Brenay Pay Akira $1.75 MILLION judgement for sleeping with her husband?
TikTok influencer Brenay Kennard just lost a $1.75 million lawsuit to boyfriend’s ex-wife, Akira Montague. Not all states allow lawsuits over cheating, but North Carolina has an “alienation of affection” law.
In November 2025, a Durham County jury ordered TikTok content creator Brenay Kennard to pay $1.75 million to Akira Montague, who accused Kennard of having an affair with her then-husband, Tim Montague. The jury found Kennard liable on two counts: $1.5 million for alienation of affection and $250,000 for criminal conversation.
Akira Montague filed the lawsuit in May 2024, alleging that Kennard had seduced her husband and destroyed their marriage. The case captured national attention as the relationship drama unfolded publicly on social media, with Kennard’s nearly 3 million TikTok followers watching the controversy develop.
Brenay even posted videos with Akira and Tim as she had her now ex-husband Devon Mayo spent Christmas with the Montagues in 2023. Brenay showed her audience her spending time cooking with Tim and interacting with Tim and Akira’s children.
Brenay’s defense was that Akira “gave consent” for Brenay to enter into a relationship with her husband, and she claims her relationship with Tim didn’t start until “July 6, 2024.”
Alienation of Affection requires the plaintiff to prove three elements:
* Love and affection existed in the marriage
* That love and affection was destroyed
* The defendant’s actions contributed to the breakdown
The jury found Brenay liable for destroying the marriage in November and she was ordered to pay $1.5M for alienation of affection and $250K for “criminal conversation” (yes, that’s a real legal term for adultery).
North Carolina is one of only 6 states where you can still sue someone for wrecking your marriage. Previous cases have awarded up to $30 million. The other states with this law are Hawaii, Mississippi, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah.
Brenay told Tamron Hall that she had never heard of this law.
Brenay, who got famous on TikTok for wearing extreme nails and vlogging her everyday life, claims Akira gave her consent to sleep with her husband. Akira says the affair caused mental anguish and robbed her children of a two-parent home. The jury sided with Akira.
Brenay and Tim recently appeared on the Tamron Hall show where Brenay admitted that her love with Tim wasn’t worth over $1 million to her. “It’s not worth over a million, but he’s worth it is all I can say.”
Will Brenay pay Akira the full amount?
Brenay has filed an appeal after retaining a lawyer for the first time in this case.
