North Carolina has seen its fair share of dramatic headlines, but this latest courtroom clash feels straight out of a prime-time drama. A local mother walked away with a stunning $1.75 million judgment after suing her ex-husband’s mistress, proving that in North Carolina, breaking up a marriage can come with a serious price tag. What started as whispers on TikTok quickly spiraled into a legal showdown that captured attention across the state and far beyond.
The situation involves Brenay Kennard, a North Carolina-based TikTok influencer with more than three million followers, whose social media fame couldn’t shield her from the courtroom spotlight. According to the case, Brenay allegedly embarked on a romantic relationship with her manager, Tim Montague, while he was still married to his wife, Akria Montague, per NY Post. In North Carolina, one of the few states that still allows alienation of affection lawsuits that’s more than just messy behavior. It’s potentially actionable, and that’s exactly what Akria decided to pursue.
Akria claimed the affair shattered her marriage, leaving her to raise their children alone while dealing with the emotional and physical fallout of the breakup. Under the state’s alienation of affection law, someone who knowingly interferes in a marriage can be held financially liable, and a jury ultimately agreed that Brenay’s relationship with Tim crossed that legal line.
North Carolina Woman Sues Ex-Husband’s Mistress For Ruining Their Marriage
According to the NY Post, they awarded Akria $1.5 million for the damage caused and then tacked on an additional $250,000 due to the legal consequences of having a sexual relationship with someone else’s spouse.
When the verdict was read, the courtroom erupted with cheers from Akria’s supporters. On the other side of the aisle, Brenay was hit with a blow that was both emotional and financially staggering. Still, she didn’t leave the drama empty-handed in life: she and Tim married after his divorce from Akria was finalized, though the new couple now faces the shadow of a massive legal judgment.
The online conversation that followed was immediate and intense. TikTok users dissected every detail, from the courtroom outcome to the tangled timeline of the affair itself. Many wondered why Akria didn’t go after her ex-husband directly, but under North Carolina law, divorcing him was the only real legal path. The lawsuit against Brenay was the part she could control.
The Internet Is Shook
“She’ll never see that money,” one person stated. “I’m glad marriage is being taken seriously again,” another commented. “Running to pack up my house and move to Carolina,” a third person joked. “Honestly, this should be standard,” a fourth person declared.
Regardless of which side people land on, this case has definitely stirred up conversations about loyalty, legality, and consequences, especially in a state like North Carolina, where the rules around marriage interference still have very real teeth. And if nothing else, this headline-making judgment will likely make a lot of people think twice before stepping into someone else’s relationship.
Nina Franklin 
Sofia Bassett 
