Another blow for George Santos: Judge dismisses lawsuit over Jimmy Kimmel's Cameo videos

Disgraced Congressman George Santos suffered another legal setback after a federal judge on Monday dismissed his lawsuit against late-night show host Jimmy Kimmel.

Santos, 36, sued Kimmel, 56, after he requested Cameo videos from Santos after he left the federal congressional office. Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives in December 2023 after being accused of criminal conduct.

To earn money, Santos joined the platform Cameo, where you can buy video messages from famous people for a fee.

In a February lawsuit, Santos claimed that Kimmel solicited videos from him under a false name, committed “intentional deception and misappropriation” and then aired them on his ABC show.

The lawsuit accuses Kimmel of copyright infringement, fraudulent inducement, breach of contract and unjust enrichment.

During his show, Kimmel called the lawsuit “absurd.”

“We did a nice thing by supporting him by ordering his Cameo videos,” Kimmel added.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! aired the videos as part of a segment titled “Will Santos Tell?” One of Kimmel's requests was to ask Santos to congratulate a friend who won a beef-eating contest in Clearwater, Florida.

The former congressman demanded $750,000 plus compensatory damages. Kimmel asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed in a motion filed in June.

District Judge Denise Cote dismissed the lawsuit in a 27-page decision on Monday, saying Kimmel's use of the content was protected by the “fair use” clause of copyright law.

“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 alleged fraudulent activities, including enriching himself through a fraudulent donation scheme – to say absurd things for money,” the judge wrote.

“The videos were therefore used for political commentary and criticism, i.e. for purposes that did not go beyond the objectives of the original videos.”

Santos will appeal the verdict, his lawyer Andrew Mancilla said in an email. The Independent.

Santos also pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in a federal fraud case in New York on Monday.

“I betrayed the trust of my voters and supporters. I deeply regret my actions,” Santos said as he made his confession in a Long Island courtroom.

Santos is scheduled to be sentenced on February 7. According to sentencing guidelines, he faces a prison sentence of more than six years and must pay at least $370,000 in restitution.