TEEN MOM 2 Briana DeJesus asks Kail Lowry for $120k in legal fees
Teen Mom 2 star Kailyn Lowry lost her defamation suit against her co-star Briana DeJesus (real name Briana Soto), and now Briana is taking advantage of the Florida law that allows her to recover her legal fees — her VERY LARGE amount of legal fees!
In a partnership with Briana, Celebuzz was able to obtain the letter from Briana’s attorney, Marc Randazza, addressed to Kail’s attorney, Nicole Haff. The letter reveals that Briana’s legal fees from the defamation case currently total $120,096.87. I assume that includes the time it took to write the letter.
“Dear Ms. Haff,” the letter begins. “Pursuant to Florida’s anti-SLAPP statute, the court is required to award Ms. [Briana] Soto her attorney’s fees and costs.”
For those of you curious about Mr. Randazza’s terminology, SLAPP stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, which is a lawsuit “intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition.” [Wikipedia]
Many states, including Florida, “have adopted anti-SLAPP statutes in the interest of protecting free speech that provide for speedy hearings of the claims and the possibility of the defendant recovering legal fees and punitive damages.” [Cornell Law School]
Normally, the recovery of attorney fees would happen after an official motion is filed by the winning party. Mr. Randazza is hoping that they can avoid going through the courts. “I am writing to see if we can come to an agreement on payment of fees before we proceed to filing our motion,” he states.
It should be noted that Kail can still appeal the judge’s ruling, but Mr. Randazza points out that the appeal will more than likely fail. Meanwhile, Briana’s legal fees will continue to mount.
“Ms. Lowry may be tempted to appeal the court’s decision,” he continues in the letter, “needless to say, we do not believe that such an appeal will ultimately be successful…Worse for Ms. Lowry, when she ultimately fails to overturn the Court’s decision, she will be on the hook for a much more substantial fee award, as any fees Ms. Soto incurs in connection with an appeal in this matter will be taxable against Ms. Lowry.”
Mr. Randazza says that he is open to listen to any billing disputes that Kail and her legal team may have, but he is also willing to file an official motion if the disputes are “unreasonable.”
“If, after reviewing our billing statements, you believe that you have a reasonable right to reduce them, we will certainly give your position due respect,” Mr. Randazza states. “However, if the reduction is unreasonable, we will have no qualms about moving forward.”
We will continue to monitor the case and will share any updates regarding a payment agreement, appeal, or other motion.
UPDATE – Briana responded on Twitter to some folks who were apparently encouraging her to drop the request to get her legal fees back:
Y’all buggin if you think I’m dropping anything lol I want every cent back plus some if that’s what it takes. It may have just ended for y’all but it just started for me. ❤️
— Briana Dejesus (@xobrianadej) April 19, 2022
Kail v. Briana Trivia: I did the math and $120,096.87 is equal to approximately 80 treadmills, based on an average price of $1,500 for a nice treadmill.
#TeenMom2 Briana DeJesus sends Kail Lowry a treadmill. Kail and her attorney ARE NOT HAPPY about it. Legal pettiness ensues. Read the full legal filing with all the details! #KailVBriana #Pettypalooza https://t.co/efHOjEk5KQ pic.twitter.com/l3G87fUe9I
— Starcasm (@starcasm) December 19, 2021
Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com
