Kris Jenner and former bodyguard fail to settle sexual harassment case within a year

Kardashian family matriarch Kris Jenner has failed to reach an agreement with her former bodyguard, who sued her for sexual assault, a year after the couple were ordered to settle the case through private arbitration.

Now they have given him another 13 months to put things right.

Last year, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Armen Tamzarian gave the famous mother and her accuser Marc McWilliams until January 6, 2023, to find an arbitrator, usually a private judge, to hear the arguments of both parties and settle the case.

But at a status hearing on Friday, 12 months after the order was issued, lawyers for both sides conceded that they still need to go through the arbitration process.

‘This is taking a long time. What’s going on?’ Judge Tamzarian, visibly frustrated, questioned the lawyers.

McWilliams’ lawyer, Sean Novak, told the court that a private judge had been selected to oversee the case in proceedings scheduled for December this year.

But Jenner’s attorney, Michelle Doolin, questioned whether arbitration had been scheduled.

Judge Tamzarian set a new status hearing for February 14, 2024, Valentine’s Day, joking that “there will be love in the air.”

But he added: “I hope the arbitration will be ready by then.”

Jenner, 67, was not in court on Friday, nor was McWilliams, who first filed a complaint against the reality star in September 2020.

McWilliams, 47, a once-rapper-turned-Kardashian security guard who is 20 years Jenner’s junior, sued for $3 million, alleging she grabbed him in the crotch, exposed herself to him while she was still working for the family in 2017 and then got him fired. her when she rejected her advances.

He later added another shocking allegation to his legal action in February 2021, alleging that Jenner sexually assaulted him while they were in his luxury Bentley.

McWilliams – who worked for the famous television clan between 2017 and 2019 – recounted in an amended complaint the “particularly shocking” incident on the morning of October 22, 2017 when Jenner wanted to leave in her Bentley and ordered her to sit in the front. passenger seat.

As Jenner was driving, she “began to make comments to Plaintiff (McWilliams) of an overtly sexual and flirtatious nature,” her attorney, Sean Novak, said in the legal documents.

“Without warning, Jenner placed her right hand on the inside of McWilliams’ upper left thigh and groin area in an overtly sexually offensive manner.

He then moved his right hand up the left upper inner thigh and groin, stroking McWilliams.

McWilliams was shocked and offended by Jenner’s uninvited and overtly sexual touching and attempted to back away from her groping.

“As she moved her body away from the offending sexual contact, Jenner’s right hand came into contact with McWilliams’ inner groin and genital area.”

McWilliams was “emotionally distraught” by Jenner’s “outrageous and unsolicited” actions, which he “at no time consented to,” Novak said, adding that as a result of Jenner’s behaviour, his client had suffered “physical and mental pain.” ..illness….loss of sleep, depression and other health problems.

Jenner’s daughter, Kourtney Kardashian, 43, was also named in the lawsuit, but it was her mother who subjected McWilliams to a “pattern of unwanted and unwelcome sexual advances and other harassing misconduct,” she claimed in court documents.

According to McWilliams’ statements in his original complaint, Kris was “repeatedly and frequently causing his body to come into intimate physical contact” with her body.

Among his ‘inappropriate’ and ‘sexually suggestive’ behaviour, he listed:

• Massaging (his) neck, shoulders, arms and back without his consent;
• Resting his hand on (his) thigh and groin;
• Having your pelvis rub against (his) back and/or buttocks without your consent or approval;
• Bringing your hands into contact with (your) buttocks without your consent or approval;
• Exposing parts of your body to (him) in a lewd or suggestive manner’

McWilliams, who is seeking a jury trial and $3 million in damages, told Jenner her behavior was unwelcome and asked her to stop, he said in court documents.

“But Jenner ignored all those requests and persisted with this inappropriate misconduct.”

McWilliams, who is African-American, also alleged racial discrimination, including “mockery, harassment, belittling, and other widespread and humiliating mistreatment by defendants because of (their) race.”

He complained to his employer’s human resources department at the security company, but, he claimed, was again ignored.

He was suspended from working with Kris, but continued to work for Kourtney, until he was fired in September 2019, said McWilliams, whose lawsuit also alleged wrongful termination against his employers, David Shield Security and Armor Protection Services.

McWilliams claimed that after his firing, he endured “harassment, intimidation and threats of misconduct in an effort to deter or prevent (him) from bringing any form of action against those accused for their unlawful misconduct.”

After McWilliams filed her lawsuit, Jenner’s lawyer Marty Singer tore apart the claims in a statement to DailyMail.com, saying: “Kris Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian vehemently deny the completely false claims made by former security guard Marc “.

His absurd accusations are clearly fabricated and contrary to easily verifiable facts. Kris never acted inappropriately with him.

“The security company stopped assigning McWilliams to work there after the guard was repeatedly caught sleeping in his car on the job.

“Significantly, McWilliams never made any complaints to her employer about Kris until she came up with this ridiculous claim a year later.

“Although Kourtney is named in the lawsuit, she is not accused of doing anything inappropriate, nor did she.”

McWilliams is a founding member of the late-’80s group MGM (Musicly Gifted Men), which began with his close friend, now-disgraced rap star R. Kelly.

Keeping Up With The Kardashians, the series that catapulted the family into the spotlight after it launched in 2007, ran for 20 seasons through 2021 and last year the family launched a new reality TV show called The Kardashians.

Kris’s first taste of fame came during her first marriage to Los Angeles lawyer Robert Kardashian, when he was part of the ‘dream team’ of top lawyers who won the acquittal of OJ Simpson in his notorious trial for murder in the mid 90’s.

She and Robert had four children, daughters Kourtney, Kim, now 42, Khloe, 38, and son Rob, 35. They divorced in 1991, and Robert died of cancer in 2003.

In April 1991, just a month after divorcing the Kardashian, Kris married her second husband, former gold medal-winning Olympian Bruce Jenner, and they had two children, Kendall, 26, and Kylie, 24. .

The couple separated in 2013 and divorced in 2015, the same year Bruce came out as transgender and renamed himself Caitlyn Jenner.

Last April, Kris, Kim, Khloe and their half-sister Kylie Jenner, 25, scored a big victory in another lawsuit, this one brought by former Rob Kardashian finance star Blac Chyna, 34.

Chyna had sought $108 million in damages, accusing the celebrity family of defaming her and conspiring to get her Rob and Chyna television show fired.

While the jury did not completely exonerate the Kardashians of blame, they did award Chyna zero damages.